Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The gross physical character of a rock or rock formation.
  • noun The microscopic study, description, and classification of rock.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A branch of mineralogy concerned with the minute study of rocks, with the object of finding out what minerals make up the different varieties.
  • noun That department of medical science which is concerned with the study and treatment of calculi found in the human body.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The science which treats of rocks, as regards their mineral constitution and classification, and their mode of occurrence in nature.
  • noun (Med.) A treatise on stones found in the body.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The study of rocks, with particular emphasis on their description and classification.
  • noun The general composition of a rock or rock sequence.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the branch of geology that studies rocks: their origin and formation and mineral composition and classification

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

litho- +‎ -ology

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Examples

  • The lithology of the lateral has some variation and the best shows are being recorded in a dolomitic lithology, which is possibly consistent with the geology of the adjacent Elm Coulee Oil Field.

    unknown title 2012

  • He said adding mud logging to Schlumberger's formation evaluation measurements also would allow more understanding of rock lithology and fluid content.

    Schlumberger Buys France's Geoservices Kathy Shwiff 2010

  • He said adding mud logging to Schlumberger's formation evaluation measurements also would allow more understanding of rock lithology and fluid content.

    Schlumberger Buys France's Geoservices Kathy Shwiff 2010

  • He said adding mud logging to Schlumberger's formation evaluation measurements also would allow more understanding of rock lithology and fluid content.

    Schlumberger Buys France's Geoservices Kathy Shwiff 2010

  • The lithology contrasts with the Pleistocene terrace deposits of Ecoregion 35c, and the Tertiary sediments of Ecoregion 35a.

    Ecoregions of Texas (EPA) 2009

  • Topography, lithology, and hydrology vary over short distances and natural vegetation varies with site characteristics.

    Ecoregions of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (EPA) 2009

  • Overall, physiography and lithology contrast with the low mountains of the Northeastern Highlands (58), the Ridge and Valley (67), and the flat coastal plains of Ecoregions 63 and 84.

    Ecoregions of New Jersey (EPA) 2009

  • The mosaic of natural vegetation, physiography, lithology, soils, and land use is unlike that of the neighboring Eastern Cross Timbers (29b) and Western Cross Timbers (29c).

    Ecoregions of Oklahoma (EPA) 2009

  • Though Ecoregion 80f's climate and vegetation are similar to the dissected High Lava Plateau (80a), its lithology is more varied, stream density is higher, and water availability is greater than in Ecoregion 80a.

    Ecoregions of Oregon (EPA) 2009

  • Land use, soils, native vegetation, and lithology are distinct from those of the neighboring Inner Coastal Plain (84d) and Barrier Islands - Coastal Marshes (84c).

    Ecoregions of New Jersey (EPA) 2009

Comments

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  • The study of rocks.

    March 6, 2007

  • They’ll dig old LPs out of stock

    To listen and endlessly talk;

    Soon sober lithology

    Transforms to mythology

    When true devotees discuss Rock.

    March 5, 2019

  • See petrology and petrography.

    October 23, 2021