salt dome

American  

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 British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of salt dome

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Washington Times

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.

From Seattle Times

The roof was torn off the old salt dome.

From Washington Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times