Definition of "surficial" [surficial]

• Of, relating to, or occurring on or near the surface of the earth. (adjective)

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.

• "Robert won by correctly spelling "surficial," defined as "of or relating to the boundary or portion of the boundary of a three-dimensional region and especially that of the earth.""
• "These kinds of solutions may not work everywhere because infiltration is influenced by surficial geology, but it's an approach worth considering when cottages are built."
• "It's sort of like reading a not-so-original HPL or REH pastiche ... the signature elements are all there (and you can show off the completed checklist to prove it!), but it's focusing so much on that surficial stuff that it ends up not capturing/expanding upon any of the subtleties or the "feel" of the original."