diapir

English

WOTD – 30 November 2012

Etymology

From Ancient Greek διαπειραίνω (diapeiraínō, “to pierce through”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈdaɪ.ə.pɪə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Noun

diapir (plural diapirs)

1. (geology) An intrusion of a ductile rock into an overburden.
   • 29 April 1989, Nigel Henbest, “Geologists hit back at impact theory of extinctions”, in New Scientist‎^[1]:

     "If a diapir is outside an established plume it rises at a much slower rate," Loper says.

   • 1994, Peter Olson, “Mechanics of Flood Basalt Magmatism”, in Michael P. Ryan, editor, Magmatic Systems‎^[2], Academic Press, →ISBN, page 12:

     This final stage is characterized by the cooling and resolidification of the partially molten diapir within the mantle, slow subsidence at the surface, and greatly diminished rates of crustal addition.

   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth: An Intimate History‎^[3], HarperCollins, published 2010, →ISBN, page unnumbered page:

     Deeply buried deposits of sea-salt dome upwards and pass through the overlying strata, as a kind of intrusive lobe, eventually emerging at the surface – the rising tongue is called a diapir.

Derived terms

• diapiric
• diapirically
• diapirism

Translations

intrusion of ductile rock

• Armenian: դիապիր (diapir)
• Czech: diapir m
• Finnish: diapiiri
• French: diapir (fr) m
• German: Diapir m
• Russian: диапир (ru) (diapir)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

French

Etymology

From Ancient Greek διαπειραίνω (diapeiraínō, “to pierce through”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dja.piʁ/

Noun

diapir m (plural diapirs)

1. (geology) diapir