groundmass
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ground·mass
(ground′măs′)n.
The fine-grained crystalline base of porphyritic rock in which larger crystals are embedded.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
groundmass
(ˈɡraʊndˌmæs)n
(Geological Science) the matrix of igneous rocks, such as porphyry, in which larger crystals (phenocrysts) are embedded
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ground•mass
(ˈgraʊndˌmæs)n.
the crystalline, granular, or glassy base or matrix of a porphyritic or other igneous rock, in which the more prominent crystals are embedded.
[1875–80]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | groundmass - (geology) the matrix of fine-grained crystalline material in which larger crystals are embedded geology - a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks igneous rock - rock formed by the solidification of molten magma porphyritic rock, porphyry - any igneous rock with crystals embedded in a finer groundmass of minerals |
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