European stage: Paleocene (above Danian, below Thanetian). AGI
An orthorhombic mineral, MgCaSiO4 ; olivine group; in
contact-metamorphosed limestones, rarely in ultramafic rocks.
CF:glaucochroite
A small hill, knob, or mound; esp., a minor volcanic cone.
Mountainlike; having the shape of a mountain.
A monoclinic mineral, (Na,Ca)0.33 (Al,Mg)2 Si4 O (sub
10) (OH)2 .nH2 O ; smectite group; expansive and cation
exchangeable; perfect basal cleavage; in bentonite clays formed by
alteration of volcanic ash or mafic igneous rocks. The chief constituent
of bentonite and fuller's earth. CF:beidellite; hectorite.
Syn:amargosite
An opening in a kiln wall to permit inspection of the contents.
Standard, 2
An orthorhombic mineral, (V,Fe)O(OH) ; black; a primary mineral in
sandstone-type uranium-vanadium ores associated with roscoelite,
pitchblende, coffinite, and secondary uranium and vanadium minerals.
An orthorhombic mnineral, HgO ; sectile; perfect cleavage; sp gr, 11.2; a
rare secondary mineral; in the oxidized zone of some mercury deposits.
a. The structure erected to mark the position of a corner. Permanence is
implied. In a legal sense, a monument is any physical evidence of a
boundary of real property. Seelye, 2
b. Survey point; e.g., a pile of stones indicating the boundary of a
mining claim. AGI
A granular plutonic rock containing approx. equal amounts of orthoclase
and plagioclase, and thus intermediate between syenite and diorite. Quartz
is minor or absent. Either hornblende or diopside, or both, are present
and biotite is a common constituent. Accessories are apatite, zircon,
sphene, and opaque oxides. The intrusive equivalent of latite.
Syn:syenodiorite
A tetragonal mineral, Cu9 Fe9 S16 ; in magmatic
sulfide deposits; a significant copper ore mineral at Noril'sk, Russia.
a. A semitransparent to translucent variety of alkali feldspar (adularia)
or cryptoperthite that exhibits a bluish to milky-white pearly or opaline
luster; an opalescent variety of orthoclase; a gemstone if flawless.
CF:sunstone
b. A name incorrectly applied to peristerite or to opalescent varieties of
plagioclase (esp. albite).
c. A name incorrectly applied (without proper prefix) to milky or girasol
varieties of chalcedony, scapolite, corundum, and other minerals.
A type of opal glass resembling the mineral moonstone. ASTM
a. A more or less elevated tract of barren land, having, as a rule, a
rather broad, flat, and poorly drained surface, commonly diversified by
peat bogs and patches of heath.
b. A common term for peat unfit for use, as opposed to turf, which is dug
for fuel. Tomkeieff
See:moorband pan
Eng. A hard ferruginous crust that forms at the bottom of boggy places
above a stiff and impervious subsoil.
A sediment coring device containing a protected glass tube through which
water flows freely during descent and which is forced by impact into the
sediment. On hauling, a simple valve mechanism closes the top of the tube
and the sample may be brought to the surface. The body of the sampler is a
brass cylinder into which fits a thinner metal tube holding the glass
sampling tube. When the glass tube is in position, it is closed by a
rubber bung that comes hard against the upper surface of the main body of
the sampler in the center of which is a hole. Hunt
A movable, intermittent vacuum filter consisting of a series, or basket,
of leaves fastened together in such a way that it may be dropped in a pulp
tank and kept submerged until a cake is formed; it is then transferred by
crane to an adjoining wash-solution tank and washed; the basket is then
lifted out of the tank and the cake dropped. Liddell
A sediment sampler designed to drop free from a ship to the sea floor,
obtain a core, and return to the surface, leaving its expendable weight
and casing embedded in the bottom. The free corer consists of two basic
assemblies: (1) a recoverable core barrel, check valve, buoyant chamber
assembly filled with gasoline; and (2) an expendable weight and casing
assembly. When these two assemblies are combined, the core barrel fits
loosely inside the casing. The device is dropped over the side of the ship
and allowed to fall free to the bottom. A simple release-delay timer made
of magnesium releases the core barrel and its buoyant float rises from the
weight and casing assembly. Hunt
See:highmoor peat
a. Remains of a submerged forest, composed of a tangled mass of brushwood
and tree trunks and forming a layer from 3 to 8 ft (0.9 to 2.4 m) thick.
Tomkeieff
b. Hard, brown peat dredged by fishing boats from the bed of the North
Sea. Arkell