Copy of `Inland Lapidary - Gem glossary`
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Inland Lapidary - Gem glossary
Category: General technical and industrial > Gems and Geology
Date & country: 27/10/2013, USA
Words: 1119
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vitriol Synonym of sulfuric acid.
volatize Disappear as fumes.
volcanic Having originated from a volcano.
volcanic arc A chain of volcanoes fueled by magma that rises from an underlying subducting plate.
volcanic cone A cone-shaped mountain that forms around a vent from the debris of pyroclastics and lava ejected by numerous eruptions over time.
volcanic crater A steep, bowl-shaped depression surrounding a vent. A volcanic crater forms when the walls of a vent collapse inward following an eruption.
volcanic dome A bulb-shaped solid that forms over a vent when lava so viscous that it cannot flow out of the volcanic crater cools and hardens. When a volcanic dome forms, it traps the volcano's gases beneath it. They either escape along a side vent of the volcano or build pressure that causes another eruption and shatters the volcanic dome.
volcanic rock Rock formed as a direct result of a volcano, the solidifying of magm). See extrusive rock.
volcanism The set of geological processes that result in the expulsion of lava, pyroclastics, and the volcanic venting effects associated with volcanoes: hot springs, smoking, and fumaroles. Synonym to vulcanism.
water table The surface that lies between the zone of aeration and the underlying zone
wave refraction The process by which a wave approaching the shore changes direction due to slowing of those parts of the wave that enter shallow water first, causing a sharp decrease in the angle at which the wave approaches until the wave is almost parallel to the coast.
wave-cut bench A relatively level surface formed when waves erode the base of a cliff, causing the overlying rock to fall into the surf. A wave-cut bench stands above the water and extends seaward from what remains of the cliff.
waxy (luster) Luster of a mineral in which it appears to be coated by a layer of wax
weathering The process by which exposure to atmospheric agents, such as air or moisture, causes rocks and minerals to break down. This process takes place at or near the Earth's surface. Weathering entails little or no movement of the material that it loosens from the rocks and minerals. Rocks that have
welded tuff A volcanic igneous rock that forms when still-warm tephra accumulates at the Earth's surface. Because the particles are still warm and soft, they can weld together under the weight of overlying deposits, forming a hard rock. wetland A lake, marsh, or swamp that supports wildlife and replenishes the groundwater system.
wheat sheaf Aggregate of compact bundles of crystals, slightly radiating and thicker at the top and the bottom than in the center. Appears in the shape of an hourglass.
widmanstaetten lines Etched crystal faces that are seen on some polished meteorites.
wind abrasion The process by which wind erodes bedrock through contact between the bedrock and rock particles carried by the wind.
wiry aggregate Composed of long, slender, curvy, interwoven wires, the individual members are called wires.
