Showing results for shatter cone. Search instead for whatever comes.

shatter cone

American

noun

Geology.

a small, radially striated rock structure produced by intense shock, such as generated by meteorite impact.

shatter cone Scientific

/ shăt′ər /

A fractured, conical fragment of rock that has striations radiating outward from the apex. Shatter cones are believed to form when rocks are subjected to shock waves associated with a meteoric impact. They are typically between a few centimeters and a few meters long.

First recorded in 1945–50

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023