Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for unconformity

unconformity

[ uhn-kuhn-fawr-mi-tee ]

noun

, plural un·con·form·i·ties.
  1. lack of conformity; incongruity; inconsistency.
  2. Geology.
    1. a discontinuity in rock sequence indicating interruption of sedimentation, commonly accompanied by erosion of rocks below the break.
    2. the interface between such strata.


unconformity

/ ˌʌnkənˈfɔːmɪtɪ /

noun

  1. lack of conformity
  2. the contact surface between younger and older rocks representing a discontinuity in the geological record. Most commonly it represents an erosional surface
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


unconformity

/ ŭn′kən-fôrmĭ-tē /

  1. A surface between successive strata representing a missing interval in the geologic record of time, produced either by an interruption in deposition or by the erosion of depositionally continuous strata followed by renewed deposition. An unconformity is a type of discontinuity.


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of unconformity1

First recorded in 1590–1600; un- 1 + conformity
Discover More

Example Sentences

An unconformity thus records movements of the crust and a consequent break in the deposition of the strata.

As shown in Figure 207, a strong unconformity (nm´, Fig. 207) parts the schists and the Algonkian.

Such an erosion surface, called an “unconformity,” marks a gap in the geological record of the district where it occurs.

An unconformity may indicate that the beds below it have at some time been raised above the sea and have been eroded.

If beds of rock may be regarded as leaves in the volume of geologic history, an unconformity marks a gap in the record.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


unconformableuncongenial