petrology

petrology
—petrologic /pe'treuh loj"ik/, petrological, adj. —petrologically, adv. —petrologist, n.
/pi trol"euh jee/, n.
the scientific study of rocks, including petrography and petrogenesis.
[1805-15; PETRO-1 + -LOGY]

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Scientific study of rocks, including their composition, texture, and structure; occurrence and distribution; and conditions of origin.

Petrology is concerned with all three major types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. The subdiscipline of experimental petrology involves synthesizing rocks in the laboratory to ascertain the physical and chemical conditions under which they form. The subdiscipline of petrography is concerned primarily with the systematic study and description of rocks using a petrographic microscope.

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      scientific study of rocks that deals with their composition, texture, and structure; their occurrence and distribution; and their origin in relation to physicochemical conditions and geologic processes. It is concerned with all three major types of rocks—igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Petrology includes the subdisciplines of experimental petrology and petrography. Experimental petrology involves the laboratory synthesis of rocks for the purpose of ascertaining the physical and chemical conditions under which rock formation occurs. Petrography is the study of rocks in thin section by means of a petrographic microscope (i.e., an instrument that employs polarized light that vibrates in a single plane). Petrography is primarily concerned with the systematic classification and precise description of rocks.

      Petrology relies heavily on the principles and methods of mineralogy because most rocks consist of minerals and are formed under the same conditions. Also essential to petrological research is the careful mapping and sampling of rock units, which provide data on regional gradations of rock types and on associations unavailable by other means.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Petrology — Pe*trol o*gy, n. [Petro + logy.] 1. The department of science which is concerned with the mineralogical and chemical composition of rocks, and with their classification: lithology. [1913 Webster] 2. A treatise on petrology. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • petrology — 1811 (erroneously as petralogy), from L. petra “rock” + OLOGY (Cf. ology) …   Etymology dictionary

  • petrology — [pə träl′ə jē] n. [ PETRO + LOGY] the branch of geology that deals with the classification, location, composition, structure, and origin of rocks petrologic [pe΄trō läj′ik] adj. petrological petrologically adv. petrologist n …   English World dictionary

  • Petrology — A volcanic sand grain seen under the microscope, with plane polarized light in the upper picture, and cross polarized light in the lower picture. Scale box is 0.25 mm. Petrology (from Greek: πέτρα, petra, rock; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the …   Wikipedia

  • petrology — petrografija statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Mokslas, tiriantis mineraloginę ir cheminę uolienų sudėtį, jų geologines savybes (slūgsojimo sąlygas, paplitimą, kilmę ir kitimą Žemės plutoje ir Žemės paviršiuje). atitikmenys:… …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • petrology — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1811 a science that deals with the origin, history, occurrence, structure, chemical composition, and classification of rocks • petrologic or petrological adjective • petrologically adverb… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • petrology — noun the study of the origin, composition and structure of rock See Also: petrologist …   Wiktionary

  • petrology — pe|trol|o|gy [ pə tralədʒi ] noun uncount the scientific study of rocks …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • petrology — study of rocks Sciences and Studies …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • petrology — pe·trol·o·gy || pɪ trÉ‘lÉ™dʒɪ /pɪ trÉ’ n. study and research of rocks …   English contemporary dictionary

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