plutonic

Adjective
Synonyms: irruptive

WordNet 3.0

Adjective (1)

  1. of igneous rock that has solidified beneath the earth's surface; granite or diorite or gabbroSynonyms: irruptive
Advertisement

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Plutonic \Plu*ton"ic\, a. [Cf. F. plutonique. See Pluto.]

1.Of or pertaining to Pluto; Plutonian; hence, pertaining to the interior of the earth; subterranean. [1913 Webster]

2.Of, pertaining to, or designating, the system of the Plutonists; igneous; as, the Plutonic theory. [1913 Webster]

Plutonic action (Geol.), the influence of volcanic heat and other subterranean forces under pressure.

Plutonic rocks (Geol.), granite, porphyry, and some other igneous rocks, supposed to have consolidated from a melted state at a great depth from the surface. Cf. Intrusive rocks, under Intrusive.

Plutonic theory. (Geol.) See Plutonism. [1913 Webster]

Advertisement