peridotite

American  

[per-i-doh-tahyt, puh-rid-uh-tahyt] / ˈpɛr ɪˌdoʊ taɪt, pəˈrɪd əˌtaɪt /

noun

1. a coarsely granular igneous rock composed chiefly of olivine with an admixture of various other minerals.

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peridotite British  

/ ˌpɛrɪdəʊˈtɪtɪk, ˌpɛrɪˈdəʊtaɪt /

noun

1. a dark coarse-grained ultrabasic plutonic igneous rock consisting principally of olivine

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peridotite Scientific  

/ pĕr′ĭ-dō-tīt′,pə-rĭd′ə- /

1. A coarse-grained igneous rock that consists mainly of olivine and pyroxene. It is believed to be one of the main constituent rocks of the Earth's mantle.

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Other Word Forms

• peridotitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of peridotite

From French, dating back to 1895–1900; see origin at peridot, -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Drilling below the seabed in the mid–Atlantic Ocean, they have collected a core of rock more than 1 kilometer long, consisting largely of peridotite, a kind of upper mantle rock.

From Science Magazine • May 25, 2023

The Lost City vents were found to arise by a process termed serpentinization — a chemical interaction between water and a type of rock called peridotite that contains minerals enriched in magnesium, iron and silica.

From Nature • Nov. 6, 2018

The mantle contains peridotite, a rock that reacts with the carbon in air and water to form marble and limestone.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2017

These rocks are rare on the surface, but make up peridotite, the rock of the upper mantle.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

According to a Nature report, it seems not to be peridotite.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson