hydroclastic
|hy-dro-clas-tic|
/ˌhaɪdrəˈklæstɪk/
water-broken fragments
Etymology
'hydroclastic' originates from Greek elements: the prefix 'hydro-' (from Greek 'hydōr') meaning 'water' and the root 'clastic' from Greek 'klastos' meaning 'broken'.
'clastic' comes from Greek 'klastos' (broken) which passed into scientific New Latin/modern geological usage as 'clastic'; 'hydro-' was later prefixed in geological English to form 'hydroclastic' to denote water-related fragmentation processes, becoming established in 19th–20th century geological literature.
Initially the components meant 'water' and 'broken'; over time the combined form came to specifically denote rock fragments or deposits produced by the action of water on volcanic material (magma/lava).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
(usually plural) Fragments or deposits produced by explosive or fragmenting interaction of magma/lava with water; hydroclastic material or rock.
Geologists examined the hydroclastics at the base of the lava flow to learn about the eruption's interaction with groundwater.
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Adjective 1
relating to, formed by, or consisting of clastic fragments produced by interaction between hot magma or lava and water (e.g., seawater, groundwater), especially in volcanic settings.
The coastal cliff shows layers of hydroclastic material deposited when lava entered the sea.
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Last updated: 2025/08/27 07:41