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Glite Dictionary
🪨 Mineral copy 🎭 False appearance
pseudomorph

pseudomorph

9.9
A mineral that has the shape of another mineral after being replaced
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːdəˌmɔrf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pseudomorfo
  • The rock sample contained a pseudomorph of garnet, which had replaced the original mineral over time.

Examples

  • Geologists study a pseudomorph when a mineral retains the shape of another mineral that has been altered.

  • An unusual pseudomorph of calcite was discovered, forming a striking resemblance to an ancient shell.

  • Quartz-biotite pseudomorph after orthopyroxene in a granodiorite from the I-type Budduso pluton in Sardinia, Italy.

    Academic text (2018)

Surface Forms

pseudomorph singular
pseudomorphs plural

Morphology

pseudomorph = morph (semi-transparent) = pseudo + morph

The word is built transparently from pseudo- plus morph, but the geological sense is specialized and may not be fully predictable for many learners.

Etymology

Pseudomorph comes from Greek parts pseudo- 'false' and -morph 'shape'. In geology a pseudomorph is a mineral that keeps the outer shape of another mineral even though it is not the same inside, so it is a 'false shape' of the original mineral.