diapir

[ dahy-uh-peer ]

nounGeology.
  1. a dome, or anticline, the upper regions of which have been ruptured and penetrated by material squeezed up from below.: Compare plume (def. 10), salt dome.

Origin of diapir

1
1915–20; <French, said to be <Greek diapeírein to drive through, pierce; dia-dia- + peírein to pierce

Other words from diapir

  • di·a·pir·ic [dahy-uh-pir-ik], /ˌdaɪ əˈpɪr ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby diapir

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British Dictionary definitions for diapir

diapir

/ (ˈdaɪəˌpɪə) /


noun
  1. geology an anticlinal fold in which the brittle overlying rock has been pierced by material, such as salt, from beneath

Origin of diapir

1
C20: from Greek diapeirainein to make holes through, pierce

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for diapir

diapir

[ ə-pîr′ ]


  1. A fold or dome, such as an anticline, in which the upper strata of sediment or rock have been ruptured by the upward movement of more plastic rock, such as a body of salt, gypsum, or lava.

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