Results for amygdule
On this page:
 
Dictionary:

amygdule

  (ə-mĭg'dyūl) pronunciation
n.

A small gas bubble in igneous, especially volcanic, rock filled with secondary minerals such as zeolite, calcite, or quartz.

[Latin amygdala, almond (from its shape); see amygdala + (NOD)ULE.]


 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: amygdule

Secondary deposit of minerals found in a rounded, elongated, or almond-shaped cavity in volcanic rock. The cavities (vesicles) were created by the expansion of gas bubbles or steam within lava. Because gas bubbles tend to rise through the lava, amygdules are most common near the tops of flows. Many minerals have been found as amygdules, including some spectacular museum specimens of zeolites.

For more information on amygdule, visit Britannica.com.

 
Geological Glossary: Amygdule

A rounded mass of mineral formed in a gas cavity in a volcanic rock, a rock that solidified before all the gas bubbled out.


 
Wikipedia: amygdule

Amygdules form when the vesicular cavities (created by expanding gas bubbles in volcanic lava) are filled with a secondary mineral such as calcite, quartz, chlorite or one of the zeolites, which are deposited by having minerals "wash" through the pores in the rock (see Porosity/Permeability). They are filled from the outside, making some amygdules concentrically layered.

"Amygdules" refer to the smaller ones. "Amygdales" refer to the larger ones and is more common in British usage.


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "amygdule" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Geological Glossary. Peterson Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals, by Frederick H. Pough. Copyright © 1998 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Amygdule".  Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In:

     

    Do you have the answers?