pluton
Noun: A large, deep-seated mass of igneous rock that formed from the slow cooling and solidification of magma beneath the Earth's surface. Plutons are intrusive bodies, meaning they crystallized within the crust without reaching the surface.
The term "pluton" is used in geology to describe a specific, coherent body of intrusive igneous rock. It is a general, non-genetic term for such formations. * Geologists studied the large granite pluton exposed by millennia of erosion. * The mountain range is composed primarily of a batholith, which is a type of massive pluton.
- Plutonic rock: This is the type of rock that makes up a pluton. It is characterized by a coarse-grained texture due to slow cooling (e.g., granite, diorite, gabbro).
- Granite is a common plutonic rock.
- Plutonic (adjective): Of or relating to plutons or igneous rock formed at great depth.
- The landscape showed evidence of plutonic activity.
- Batholith: A very large pluton, typically covering an area greater than 100 square kilometers.
- Stock: A smaller, irregular pluton with a surface area of less than 100 square kilometers.
- Laccolith: A lens-shaped pluton that has arched the overlying strata.
- Dike: A sheet-like pluton that cuts across pre-existing rock layers.
- Sill: A sheet-like pluton that intrudes parallel to rock layers.
- Intrusive body
- Igneous intrusion
- Deep-seated intrusion
While "pluton" is a general term, it is often used interchangeably with "intrusion." However, "pluton" typically implies a large, discrete mass, whereas "intrusion" can refer to any body of igneous rock that invaded older rock, regardless of size or shape. The defining characteristic is its formation within the Earth's crust.
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large mass of intrusive igneous rock believed to have solidified deep within the earth
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