gneiss
1
9.9
- noun
- /naɪs/
- Specialized
:
gneis
- It blew my mind when I held a piece of gneiss on a windswept Uist beach and contemplated it being ten times older than the oldest rock I would find on the moor at home.
- Acasta gneiss
Examples
-
The geologist explained that gneiss is formed under high pressure and temperature, giving it a unique banded appearance.
-
My fragment of gneiss holds other secrets as well.
Academic text (2006) -
The ripples in the gneiss on my windowsill have changed little in the billions of years since they formed.
Academic text (2006) -
A few years ago, a geologist friend at M.I.T. gave me a small chunk of gneiss from Canada's Northwest Territories.
Academic text (2006) -
The land here was low, bare of trees, and planted with a hardy grass uniformly cut to golf-course perfection, except where stripy gneiss showed through.
Fiction book (1990) -
The Acasta gneiss has persisted, largely undisturbed, at the core of North America since the rock crystallized more than 4 billion years ago, when the universe was only two-thirds its present age.
Academic text (2006) -
The first few clicks resolve the pattern of flecks and ripples in the gneiss into jewel-like crystals, but betray no hints of time.
Academic text (2006) -
The granite-like structure of gneiss can be seen in many of the cliffs along the hiking trail.
-
When we visited the national park, we marveled at the beautiful formations of gneiss that dominated the landscape.
Synonyms
A hard rock made when layers of mud or sand change under great heat and pressure
How Metamorphosed
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Specialized
2
9.6
61
5.7
- Specialized
- Specialized
3
3.5
Surface Forms
Etymology
Gneiss probably comes from the German word Gneis, itself from an old German word gneist meaning 'spark'. The rock often has shiny minerals and clear bands that look like tiny sparks, so the name helps you remember this banded, sparkling rock.