unconformity
lack of conformity; incongruity; inconsistency.
Geology.
a discontinuity in rock sequence indicating interruption of sedimentation, commonly accompanied by erosion of rocks below the break.
the interface between such strata.
Origin of unconformity
1Words Nearby unconformity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use unconformity in a sentence
An unconformity thus records movements of the crust and a consequent break in the deposition of the strata.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon NortonAs shown in Figure 207, a strong unconformity (nm´, Fig. 207) parts the schists and the Algonkian.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon NortonSuch an erosion surface, called an “unconformity,” marks a gap in the geological record of the district where it occurs.
Geology | William J. MillerAn unconformity may indicate that the beds below it have at some time been raised above the sea and have been eroded.
Geology | William J. MillerIf beds of rock may be regarded as leaves in the volume of geologic history, an unconformity marks a gap in the record.
Geology | William J. Miller
British Dictionary definitions for unconformity
/ (ˌʌnkənˈfɔːmɪtɪ) /
lack of conformity
the contact surface between younger and older rocks representing a discontinuity in the geological record. Most commonly it represents an erosional surface
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
Scientific definitions for unconformity
[ ŭn′kən-fôr′mĭ-tē ]
A surface between successive strata representing a missing interval in the geologic record of time, produced either by an interruption in deposition or by the erosion of depositionally continuous strata followed by renewed deposition. An unconformity is a type of discontinuity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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