pluton

American

[ploo-ton] / ˈplu tɒn /

noun

Geology.

any body of igneous rock that solidified far below the earth's surface.

pluton British

/ ˈpluːtɒn /

noun

any mass of igneous rock that has solidified below the surface of the earth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pluton Scientific

/ plo̅o̅′tŏn′ /

A large body of igneous rock formed when a plume of magma cools and solidifies underground. Although most plutons are deep within the Earth's crust, some become exposed at the surface due to plate-tectonic processes.

Etymology

Origin of pluton

1935–40; < German Pluton, back formation from plutonisch plutonic

Vocabulary lists containing pluton

Earth Science - Middle School

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Earth Science - High School

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Rocks and Minerals - Middle School and High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Called a pluton by geologists, the Barre granite formation is calculated to be four miles long, two miles wide and 10 miles deep.

From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2022

A stock is a type of pluton with less surface exposure than a batholith and may represent a narrower neck of material emerging from the top of a batholith.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Regardless, when a diapir cools, it forms a mass of intrusive rock called a pluton.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

How does the presence of a hot pluton contribute to the circulation of groundwater that facilitates metasomatism and hydrothermal processes?

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The resulting body of rock is known as a pluton.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023