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

Graphite occurs mainly in the older crystalline rocks—gneiss, granulite, schist and crystalline limestone—and also sometimes in granite: it is found as isolated scales embedded in these rocks, or as large irregular masses or filling veins.

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

The great serpentine belt crosses both properties, and is bounded along its northern margin by quartzose granulite, separated from the serpentine by a narrow belt of soapstone.

From Asbestos Its production and use, with some account of the asbestos mines of Canada by Robert H. Jones

The more micaceous varieties form transitions to granulite and gneiss.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 "Gyantse" to "Hallel" by Various

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 Sir Douglas Mawson