lopolith

American  

[lop-uh-lith] / ˈlɒp ə lɪθ /

noun

Geology.

1. a mass of igneous rock similar to a laccolith but concave downward rather than upward.

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lopolith British  

/ ˈlɒpəlɪθ /

noun

1. a saucer- or lens-shaped body of intrusive igneous rock, formed by the penetration of magma between the beds or layers of existing rock and subsequent subsidence beneath the intrusion Compare laccolith

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lopolith Scientific  

/ lŏp′ə-lĭth /

1. A large, bowl-shaped body of igneous rock intruded between layers of sedimentary rock. Lopoliths are usually connected to a dike and are typically tens of kilometers thick and hundreds of kilometers wide.

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Etymology

Origin of lopolith

1915–20; < Greek lop ( ós ) shell, husk + -o- -o- + -lith

Example Sentences

Laccoliths bulge upwards; a similar downward-bulging intrusion is called a lopolith.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017