- coquina
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/koh kee"neuh/, n.1. Also called pompano, butterfly-shell clam. a small clam, Donax variabilis, abundant in the intertidal zone of eastern and southern U.S. coastal beaches, having fanlike bands of various hues, the paired empty shells often spread in a butterfly shape.2. any similar clam, esp. of the genus Donax.3. a soft, whitish rock made up of fragments of marine shells and coral, used as a building material.[1830-40, Amer.; < Sp: lit., shellfish, equiv. to OSp coc(a) shellfish ( < L concha; see CONCH) + -ina -INE1]
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Limestone formed almost entirely of sorted and cemented fossil debris, most commonly coarse shells and shell fragments.Microcoquinas are similar sedimentary rocks composed of finer material. Common among microcoquinas are those formed from the remains of crinoids (marine invertebrates, such as sea lilies, that have limy disks and a limy internal skeleton). A distinction is made between a coquina, which is a rock formed from debris, and coquinoid limestone, which is composed of coarse shelly materials with a fine-grained matrix.* * *
limestone formed almost entirely of sorted and cemented fossil debris, most commonly coarse shells and shell fragments. Microcoquinas are similar sedimentary rocks that are composed of finer material. Common among microcoquinas are those formed from the disks and plates of crinoids (sea lilies). A coquinite is a stronger, more-consolidated version of coquina, whereas coquinoid limestone is made up of these same shell fragments within a fine-grained matrix.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
