crustal

American  

[kruhs-tl] / ˈkrʌs tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a crust, as of the earth.

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crustal British  

/ ˈkrʌstəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the earth's crust

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Etymology

Origin of crustal

1855–60; < Latin crūst ( a ) shell, crust + -al ¹

Example Sentences

They focused on crustal delamination, a process in which sections of Earth's crust become compressed, chemically altered, and dense enough to detach and sink into the mantle below.

From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2026

However, its crustal abundance is nearly 100 times that of Ru, indicating that these new electrocatalytic materials can be synthesized in sufficiently large amounts to enable hydrogen mass-production using water electrolyzers.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2024

The temperature along the plate boundary and the amount of strain built up is well studied there, and the results of their model match crustal movements based on satellite observations, the scientists said.

From Science Daily • Feb. 7, 2024

The majority of Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Nunavut is made up of Archean crustal fragments that are dominated by TTGs and their slightly younger and more evolved granite counterparts.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2024

If you had been looking for a very long, geologic time, you could have seen the continents them- selves in motion, drifting apart on their crustal plates, held afloat by the fire beneath.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas