plutonic

Magma-cooled underground rock

Plutonic describes igneous rock that formed deep underground, where magma cooled slowly enough to develop large, visible crystals.

Granite is the most familiar plutonic rock.

The term comes from Pluto, Roman god of the underworld, fitting for rocks born in the earth's depths.

Plutonic contrasts with volcanic, which describes rock formed at the surface.

igneous

granite

Igneous rock, quartz-rich

basaltFine-grained volcanic stone
gabbroDark intrusive igneous rock
dioriteFeldspar-hornblende igneous rock

batholith · sill · magma · solidification · cooling · emplacement · coarse-grained · crystallization

underworld

Hades

Greek afterlife realm

PersephoneGreek underworld queen
TartarusDeepest realm of punishment
StyxMythological boundary water

Acheron · Charon · Erebus · Cerberus · netherworld · chthonic · infernal · Lethe · Elysium · shades

tectonic

subduction

Plate descending beneath another

mantleCovering or wrap
lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
plateFlat dish for food

continental · oceanic · convergence · divergence · orogeny · asthenosphere · geodynamics · crustal · uplift · emplacement

Categories

geologicaligneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, volcanic, tectonic
igneous geologymagma, lava, basalt, granite, rhyolite
Mythological WordsAchilles heel, Adonis, aegis, ambrosia, Apollo
rocksbasalt, granite, sandstone, marble, shale
igneous rocksbasalt, rhyolite, granite, andesite, pumice
rock propertieshardness, porosity, grain size, density, roughness

Opposites

geological formation location

plutonicvolcanic

Of fiery mountain origin

extrusive · effusive · surface · eruptive · subaerial

cooling rate and crystal structure

plutonicvolcanic

Of fiery mountain origin

extrusive · glassy · fine-grained · vitreous

Phrases

plutonium bombAtomic weapon using heavy element
weapons-grade plutoniumHighly enriched fissile element

Family

plutonium, Plutonian

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