septarian
[ sep-tair-ee-uhn ]
adjectiveGeology.
being or relating to a septarium, a nodule or mass of limestone, ironstone, etc., with a network of cracks inside it filled with calcite and other minerals: The creation of these septarian concretions began about 60 million years ago when muddy sediment slowly accumulated on the seafloor.
Origin of septarian
1First recorded in 1815–25; septari(um) + -an
- Rarely sep·tar·i·ate [sep-tair-ee-it] /sɛpˈtɛər i ɪt/ .
Words Nearby septarian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use septarian in a sentence
Another type of concretion, very abundant in many clays and shales, is the “septarian nodule.”
Many shales contain great numbers of ovoid or rounded septarian nodules of clay ironstone.
A little above the oyster bed is a band of hard-bluish septarian limestone.
The Geological Story of the Isle of Wight | J. Cecil Hughes
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