granulite

American  

[gran-yuh-lahyt] / ˈgræn jəˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a metamorphic rock composed of granular minerals of uniform size, as quartz, feldspar, or pyroxene, and showing a definite banding.

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granulite British  

/ ˌɡrænjʊˈlɪtɪk, ˈɡrænjʊˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a granular foliated metamorphic rock in which the minerals form a mosaic of equal-sized granules

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granulite Scientific  

/ grăn′yə-līt′ /

1. A fine-grained metamorphic rock consisting of similarly sized, interlocking minerals. Unlike most metamorphic rocks, granulites do not exhibit foliation or textural or mineralogical layering.

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Other Word Forms

• granulitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of granulite

First recorded in 1840–50; granule + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

granulite

The lowest pressure conditions produce hornfels facies, while higher pressure creates greenschist, amphibolite, or granulite facies.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

The rock was of garnet gneiss, traversed by black dykes of pyroxene granulite.

From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Mawson, Douglas, Sir

Cyanite is a characteristic mineral of the metamorphic crystalline rocks—gneiss, schist, granulite and eclogite—and is often associated with garnet and staurolite.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

Alderney consists mainly of hornblende granite and granulite, which are covered on the east by two areas of sandstone which may be of Cambrian age.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various

The granites pass into gneiss and granulite; the gabbros into flaser gabbro and amphibolite; the slates often contain andalusite or chiastolite, and show transitions to mica schists.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various