salt dome

noun

Geology.

1. a domelike rock structure that is formed beneath the earth's surface by the upward movement of a mass of salt, may reach thousands of feet in vertical extent, and is more or less circular in plan: often associated with oil and gas pools.

salt dome

noun

1. a domelike structure of stratified rocks containing a central core of salt: formed by the upward movement of a salt deposit

Word History and Origins

Origin of salt dome¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

A salt dome, a break room at the depot, the inside cab of one of the trucks and an Evanston living room make up this chilly theatrical cosmos.

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Experts believe the sinkhole is caused by the erosion of a large salt deposit or salt dome on which Daisetta is built.

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Here in the rural Utah desert, developers plan to create caverns in ancient salt dome formations underground where they hope to store hydrogen fuel at an unprecedented scale.

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The roof was torn off the old salt dome.

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There’s also a massive underground salt dome directly across the street from the coal plant, where the Los Angeles utility hopes to bank electricity generated by solar and wind power through a technology called compressed air energy storage.

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