anorthophyre
|an-nor-tho-phyre|
🇺🇸
/ˌænɔrˈθaɪər/
🇬🇧
/ˌænɔː(r)ˈθaɪə/
plagioclase-rich igneous rock
Etymology
'anorthophyre' is a technical geological coinage from modern combining forms, essentially built from 'anortho-' (relating to anorthosite) + the rock-name suffix '-phyre' (used in names like 'porphyry').
'anorthophyre' arose as a descriptive term in geological literature to denote porphyritic or finer-grained equivalents of anorthosite and has been used in petrological descriptions since the late 19th to early 20th century.
Initially used to label specific field occurrences of plagioclase-dominated igneous rocks; over time it has remained a specialized term for such rocks, used mainly in petrology and regional geological descriptions.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a relatively uncommon igneous rock type, typically porphyritic or fine-grained, composed largely of plagioclase feldspar and resembling anorthosite in mineral composition.
Geologists mapped a belt of anorthophyre cutting through the older gneiss.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/19 07:22