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Glite Dictionary
🪨 Changed sedimentary 🪨 A changed rock
metasedimentary

metasedimentary

9.9
Describing a rock made from mud and sand that changed by heat or pressure deep underground
  • adjective
  • /ˌmɛtəˌsɛdɪˈmɛnˌtɛri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : metasedimentario
  • Ground behavior and tunneling conditions in approximately 400 feet of the Lower Tunnel were expected to differ significantly from the upper portion because of the anticipated presence of harder and more abrasive plutonic and metasedimentary rock units in the tunnel horizon.

Examples

  • The geologist explained how the metasedimentary rock had undergone transformations due to heat and pressure over millions of years.

  • Using a microscope, they observed the distinct characteristics of metasedimentary rocks that had been altered by chemical processes.

  • The formation of metasedimentary rock layers can provide valuable insights into the geological history of the region.

How Changed

metamorphic
  • Specialized
2 7.7
metasedimentary
  • Specialized
9.9
altered
3.6
sedimentary
  • Specialized
9 6.3

Surface Forms

metasedimentary positive

Morphology

metasedimentary = sedimentary (opaque) = meta + sediment + ary

Although the structure is clear to specialists as meta- + sedimentary, the prefix meta- in this geological sense and the resulting rock term are not inferable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Metasedimentary combines the prefix meta- ('change') with sedimentary (from sediment, the small bits that 'sit' at the bottom of water). So metasedimentary rocks are sedimentary rocks that have been changed by heat, pressure, or chemicals deep in the Earth.