geology

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/rɪˈfjuːzəlz/ /rɪˈfjuːsəlz/

Depth or point at which well or borehole drilling cannot continue.

"After days of drilling, the well met with refusals caused by solid rock, forcing the team to abandon that location and search for a new spot. "

piezometersnoun

/ˌpaɪizoʊˈmiːtərz/

An instrument used to measure pressure.

"Engineers used piezometers to monitor the water pressure behind the dam. "

glimmernoun

/ˈɡlɪmə(ɹ)/ /ˈɡlɪmɚ/

Mica

"The sunlight caught the mica in the rock, creating a silvery glimmer. "

nestsnoun

/nɛsts/

An aggregated mass of any ore or mineral, in an isolated state, within a rock.

""The geologist discovered small nests of gold within the quartz rock." "

archivesnoun

/ˈɑːrkaɪvz/ /ˈɑːrkɪvz/

Natural deposits of material, regarded as a record of environmental changes over time.

"soil archive; peat archive"

dowseverb

/daʊs/

To use the dipping or divining rod, as in search of water, ore, etc.

"The farmer decided to dowse for water before digging a new well on his property. "

dressingsnoun

/ˈdrɛsɪŋz/

The process of extracting metals or other valuable components from minerals

"The mining company invested in new dressings to improve the efficiency of extracting gold from the ore. "

paleosolsnoun

/ˈpeɪliːoʊˌsɔlz/ /ˈpeɪlioʊˌsɔlz/

A layer of fossil soil buried beneath other sediments or deposits.

"While digging the foundation for the new school building, construction workers discovered paleosols, ancient soils that provided clues about the area's past environment before the current topsoil existed. "

hulkingnoun

/ˈhʌlkɪŋ/

A kind of sloping embankment used as a coastal defence.

"The small coastal village relied on the hulking of earth and stone to protect their homes from the relentless winter storms. "

colluviumsnoun

/kəˈluːviəmz/

A loose accumulation of rock and soil debris at the foot of a slope

"The colluviums at the base of the hill made it difficult to build the new school playground. "

inundationnoun

/ɪnʌnˈdeɪʃən/ /ɪnənˈdeɪʃən/

The state of being inundated; flooding

"The heavy rain caused an inundation of the streets, making them impassable. "

flood plainsnoun

/ˈflʌd ˌpleɪnz/

An alluvial plain that may or may not experience occasional or periodic flooding.

"Farmers often choose to cultivate crops on flood plains because the soil is rich in nutrients deposited by past overflows, even though there's a risk of future flooding. "

gendarmesnoun

/ˈʒɑːndɑːrmz/ /ˈdʒɛnˌdɑrmz/

A rock pinnacle on a mountain ridge.

"The climbers carefully navigated the knife-edge ridge, wary of the sharp, imposing gendarmes that jutted out like rocky teeth. "

advectionnoun

/ædˈvɛkʃən/

(earth science) The horizontal movement of a body of atmosphere (or other fluid) along with a concurrent transport of its temperature, humidity etc.

"Warm air advection brought a welcome rise in temperature to the city. "

tanzanitenoun

/ˈtænzəˌnaɪt/

A trichroic violet-blue variety of the mineral zoisite mined in Tanzania, used as a gemstone.

"My grandmother's ring has a beautiful tanzanite gemstone. "

quakesnoun

/kweɪks/

A trembling or shaking.

"We felt a quake in the apartment every time the train went by."

rubynoun

[ˈɹuːbi]

A clear, deep, red variety of corundum, valued as a precious stone.

"My grandmother's ring featured a beautiful ruby. "

silicifiedadjective

/sɪˈlɪsɪfaɪd/

Combined with silicon

"The ancient wood, now silicified, had turned to stone, retaining the shape of the original tree. "

nummulitenoun

/ˈnʌmjəˌlaɪt/ /ˈnʌmjʊˌlaɪt/

A protozoan from the Tertiary period, known only as fossils

"While studying fossils in geology class, Maria learned that the nummulite is an ancient, single-celled organism only found as a fossil from the Tertiary period. "

open-worknoun

/ˈoʊpənwɜːrk/ /ˈoʊpənwɔːrk/

A quarry; an open cut.

"The old open-work near the town's edge was fenced off for safety after heavy rains caused a landslide. "