molasse

British  

/ məˈlæs /

noun

1. a soft sediment produced by the erosion of mountain ranges after the final phase of mountain building

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Etymology

Origin of molasse

C18: from French, perhaps alteration of mollasse, from Latin mollis soft

Example Sentences

That same quarry yielded the molasse rock that makes up the core of the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, a marvel of outsider art about 18 miles northeast of Tain in Hauterives.

From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2016

This molasse comprises three divisions, of which the middle one is marine, and being closely related by its shells to the faluns of Touraine, may be classed as Upper Miocene.

From The Student's Elements of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir

The argillaceous and lignite-bearing strata, more than 100 feet in thickness, rest unconformably on highly inclined and sometimes vertical Miocene molasse.

From The Antiquity of Man by Lyell, Charles, Sir

Miocene molasse with Clypeaster, &c., forms the plain of Aleria on the east coast, and occurs also at St Florent in the north and Bonifacio in the south.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4 "Coquelin" to "Costume" by Various

The second formation is composed of fibrous gypsum, placed either in the molasse or new sandstone, or between this and the upper limestone.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Ross, Thomasina