terrane
Americannoun
noun
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a series of rock formations, esp one having a prevalent type of rock
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an allochthonous, fault-bounded section of the earth's crust
Etymology
Origin of terrane
First recorded in 1815–25; spelling variant of terrain
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.
In mountainous terrane, dissolution can extend all the way through the vertical profile of the mountain, with caverns dropping thousands of feet.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017
A terrane is a distinctive block of crust that is now part of a continent, but is thought to have come from elsewhere, and was added on by plate-tectonic processes.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
What is the connection between terrane accretion on the west coast and the relatively rapid accumulation of sediments within the WCSB?
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
It formed when yet another terrane slammed into North America in the Cretaceous, about 120 million years ago, and is composed of metamorphosed oceanic basalt.
From Scientific American • Mar. 7, 2012
As the Kula Plate collided with North America and terrane after terrane was plastered to the continent, great slabs of rock were thrust up.
From Scientific American • Mar. 7, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
