Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun geology A dark
coating found on exposedrock surfaces inarid environments.
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Examples
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reesetee commented on the word desert varnish
Mountain peaks and boulders in the arid U.S. Southwest are often colored in shades of orange, green, yellow, and gray. At first glance, the coatings resemble a layer of paint. The phenomenon is actually the result of a thin layer of microscopic organisms, including lichen and colonies of bacteria called "desert varnish."
December 13, 2007