lopolith

[ lop-uh-lith ]

noun

, Geology.

1. a mass of igneous rock similar to a laccolith but concave downward rather than upward.

lopolith

/ ˈlɒpəlɪθ /

noun

1. a saucer- or lens-shaped body of intrusive igneous rock, formed by the penetration of magma between the beds or layers of existing rock and subsequent subsidence beneath the intrusion Compare laccolith

lopolith

/ lŏp′ə-lĭth /

1. A large, bowl-shaped body of igneous rock intruded between layers of sedimentary rock. Lopoliths are usually connected to a dike and are typically tens of kilometers thick and hundreds of kilometers wide.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lopolith¹

1915–20; < Greek lop ( ós ) shell, husk + -o- -o- + -lith

Word History and Origins

Origin of lopolith¹

C20: from Greek lopas dish + -lith