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pluton

American  
[ploo-ton] / ˈplu tɒn /

noun

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


pluton British  
/ ˈpluːtɒn /

noun

  1. 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′ /
  1. 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

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.

See Examples For:

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

Forces involved in tectonic processes as well as gravity and igneous pluton emplacement produce strains in rocks that include folds, fractures, and faults.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

Figure 7.25 Depiction of metamorphism and alteration around a pluton in the upper crust.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

What is the role of magmatic fluids in metamorphism that takes place adjacent to a pluton?

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

As with the magmatic fluids, the nature of this circulating groundwater can also change adjacent to, or above, the pluton, resulting in deposition of other minerals, including ore minerals.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

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