hornfels

[ hawrn-felz ]

noun

1. a dark, fine-grained metamorphic rock, the result of recrystallization of siliceous or argillaceous sediments by contact metamorphism.

hornfels

/ ˈhɔːnfɛlz /

noun

1. a hard compact fine-grained metamorphic rock formed by the action of heat from a magmatic intrusion on neighbouring sedimentary rocks Also calledhornstone

hornfels

/ hôrn′fĕlz′ /

1. A fine-grained metamorphic rock having a uniform grain size and formed by contact metamorphism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hornfels¹

1850–55; < German, equivalent to Horn horn + Fels rock, cliff

Word History and Origins

Origin of hornfels¹

German: literally, horn rock

Example Sentences

Stories, in that sly way, are his thing, and in his daily life he’s not averse to mussing around with geological terms like “hornfels” and “gneiss.”

From New York Times

They are excessively variable in their mineralogical composition, and very often alternate in thin seams with biotite hornfels and indurated quartzites.

From Project Gutenberg

From diabases, basalts, andesites and other igneous rocks a third type of hornfels is produced.

From Project Gutenberg