lamprophyre
[ lam-pruh-fahyuh r ]
/ ˈlæm prəˌfaɪər /
noun Petrology.
any dark intrusive rock in which dark minerals occur both as phenocrysts and as groundmass.
Words nearby lamprophyre
lamplighter, lampoon, lamppost, lamprey, lamprophony, lamprophyre, lampshade, lampworking, lampyrid, lamster, lamus
Origin of lamprophyre
OTHER WORDS FROM lamprophyre
lam·pro·phyr·ic [lam-pruh-fir-ik] /ˌlæm prəˈfɪr ɪk/, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for lamprophyre
It is supposed that they did not crystallize in the lamprophyre dike but in some way were caught up by it.
They are found mostly as loose crystals in gravel, but are known also in igenous rocks like andesite and lamprophyre.
Each variety of lamprophyre may and often does contain all four minerals but is named according to the two which preponderate.
In Fergus County, Montana, they are mined from decomposed dikes of lamprophyre (a basic igneous rock).
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith
British Dictionary definitions for lamprophyre
lamprophyre
/ (ˈlæmprəˌfaɪə) /
noun
any of a group of basic igneous rocks consisting of feldspathoids and ferromagnesian minerals, esp biotite: occurring as dykes and minor intrusions
Word Origin for lamprophyre
C19: from Greek lampros bright + -phyre, from porphyry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for lamprophyre
lamprophyre
[ lăm′prə-fīr′ ]
A dark igneous rock, having a porphyritic texture in which both the phenocrysts (larger crystals) and the matrix consist primarily of pyroxene, hornblende, and biotite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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