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saprolite

[ sap-ruh-lahyt ]

noun

, Petrography.
  1. soft, disintegrated, usually more or less decomposed rock remaining in its original place.


saprolite

/ ˈsæprəʊlɪt /

noun

  1. a deposit of earth, clay, silt, etc, formed by decomposition of rocks that has remained in its original site
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


saprolite

/ săprə-līt′ /

  1. Soft, thoroughly decomposed and porous rock, often rich in clay, formed by the in-place chemical weathering of igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks. Saprolite is especially common in humid and tropical climates. It is usually reddish brown or grayish white and contains those structures (such as cross-stratification) that were present in the original rock from which it formed.


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Derived Forms

  • ˌsaproˈlitic, adjective
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Other Words From

  • sap·ro·lit·ic [sap-r, uh, -, lit, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of saprolite1

First recorded in 1890–95; sapro- + -lite

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saprogenicsapropel