Geological Glossary

Glossary of common terms used in geology, and related to earth sciences.

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Dike

Dikes are sheet-like or tabular igneous intrusions that cut across sedimentary layering, metamorphic foliation, or other texture of a pre-existing rock. The dikes shown in the photograph above are made of basalt that was injected while still molten into older granites. The photo shows Basalt dikes cut across granite along the Klondike Highway in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

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