hyaloclastite

English

Etymology

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

hyalo- +‎ clast +‎ -ite

Noun

hyaloclastite (countable and uncountable, plural hyaloclastites)

1. (geology) A type of volcanic rock containing glassy clasts, that is, fragments.
   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 45:

     Explosive cooling and the sedimentation of glassy fragments results in a rock with a characteristic speckly texture known as hyaloclastite.