stylolite

[ stahy-luh-lahyt ]

noun

, Geology.

1. an irregular columnar structure in certain limestones, the columns being approximately at right angles to the bedding planes.

stylolite

/ ˈstaɪləˌlaɪt; ˌstaɪləˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. any of the small striated columnar or irregular structures within the strata of some limestones

stylolite

/ stī′lə-līt′ /

1. A contact surface usually found between two calcareous rock layers, marked by a series of jagged interlocking up-and-down projections that resemble a suture or the tracing of a stylus. Stylolites are found in rocks that have been subjected to pressure and are formed by a process, called pressure dissolution, whereby insoluble material, such as clay and hydrocarbons, becomes concentrated along a surface while other more soluble material, such as calcite, is carried away.

Derived Forms

• stylolitic, adjective

Other Words From

• sty·lo·lit·ic [stahy-l, uh, -, lit, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stylolite¹

First recorded in 1865–70; stylo- ² + -lite

Word History and Origins

Origin of stylolite¹

C19: from Greek stulos pillar + -lite