Definition of "ophiolite" [ophiolite]

• Any of a group of igneous and metamorphic rocks found within the continental crust, thought to be formed by the uplift of oceanic crust and mantle into the continental crust. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The bedrock on the hill is rocky ophiolite, which is very susceptible to erosion by rain and frost, so a large-scale conservation is very much needed."
• "Just below the plinth of the stage, one immediately discovered a very compact layer of ophiolite, which is probably the natural bedrock."
• "Igneous and metamorphic petrology of lavas and dykes of the Macquarie Island ophiolite complex."