Prefixes

Front 1

a-, an-, ab

Back 1

without, lack of, not

"asymmetric" - without symmetry

Front 2

ad-, af-

Back 2

near, towards, to

"adsorption" - adherence of gas molecules, or of ions or molecules in solution, to the surface of solids with which they are in contact, as methane to coal or moisture to silica gel.

Front 3

ana-

Back 3

back, again

"anatexis" -melting of preexisting rock.

Front 4

anti-, ant-

Back 4

against, opposite

"anticline" - a set of folded, layered rocks dipping in two directions away from a crest.

Front 5

ante-

Back 5

before, in front of [antebellum, antecedet]

Front 6

auto-

Back 6

self

"autolith" - an inclusion in an igneous rock to which it is genetically related. OPPOSITE: xenolith

Front 7

apo-, ap-

Back 7

away, from [apogee]

Front 8

ab-

Back 8

away, from

"abrade" - to rub or wear off; to waste or wear away by friction, as to abrade rocks

Front 9

bi-, di-, du-, dy-

Back 9

double, two, twice

"birefringence" - the property of anisotropic crystals to split a beam of light into two polarized rays.

Front 10

ambi-, amphi-, ampho-

Back 10

both

"amphibole" - a mineral group characterized by double chains of silica tetrahedra.

Front 11

bene-

Back 11

good, well

"beneficate" - mining term: to improve the grade by removing associated impurities; to upgrade

Front 12

cata-, cath-, cat-

Back 12

down, away, thorough, complete

"cataclysm" - any geologic event that produces sudden and extensive changes in the Earth's surface such as an exceptionally violent earthquake

Front 13

col-, com-, con-, co-

Back 13

with, together

"compression"- reduction in pore space between individual grains from pressure of overlying sediments or pressures of earth movement

Front 14

contra-, counter-

Back 14

opposite, against

"countervein" - mining term: a cross vein running at approx. right angles to the main orebody

Front 15

centi-

Back 15

one-hundredth

"centipoise" - the one-hundredth part of a poise, an absolute unit of fluid viscosity.

Front 16

circum-, circ-

Back 16

around

"circumferentor" - surveyor's compass with diametral projecting arms each carrying a vertical slit sight.

Front 17

de-

Back 17

remove, reverse, down from, away,negative

"decollement" - detachment structure in layered rock. Unique deformation styles above and below the surface of decollement are produced. It is associated with folding and with overthrusting.

Front 18

dis-, di-

Back 18

free from, apart from, away, not

"discordant" - a type of contact between an igneous intrusion and the country rock that is not parallel to the foliation or bedding planes of the country rock

Front 19

deci-, deca-

Back 19

one-tenth

"decibar" - (dbar) a metric unit of pressure equal to 0.1 bar or 10 kilopascals. One decibar equals 1.450 pounds per square inch (lbf/in2 or psi). The decibar is often used to measure the pressure of seawater, because an increase of 1 decibar in pressure corresponds closely to an increase of 1 meter in depth

Front 20

dia-

Back 20

through, between

"diapir" - a dome or anticlinal fold in which the overlying rocks have been ruptured by the squeezing-out of plastic core material

Front 21

dys-

Back 21

bad, badly

"dystomic" - having an imperfect fracture or cleavage

Front 22

equi-, iso-

Back 22

equal

"isometric" - a system of crystallization with three axes at right angles and of equal length

"equivalent" - corresponding in geologic age or stratigraphic position; esp. said of strata or formations (in regions far from each other) that are contemporaneous in time of formation or deposition or that contain the same fossil forms

Front 23

epi–

Back 23

on, outside, over, above, upon

"epicenter" - area on surface directly above focus of earthquake

Front 24

ec-, ecto-, ex-, e-

Back 24

outside, out, away from, without, completely removed, outside of, beyond

"eluvium" - accumulated rock debris produced in place by the decomposition or disintegration of rock; a weathering product; a residue

Hint 24

technically "ecto-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 25

e-, ex-

Back 25

away, outer, from, out of

"exfoliation" - the process by which concentric scales, plates, or shells of rock, from less than a centimeter to several meters in thickness, are successively spalled or stripped from the bare surface of a large rock mass

Front 26

exter- extra-

Back 26

outside

"extraterrestrial" mining - mining of metals and minerals on locations other than the Earth through space colonization of planets and moons

Front 27

em-, en-, endo-,ento

Back 27

within, in, into

"endogenetic" - derived from within; said of a geologic process, or of its resultant feature or rock, that originates within the Earth, e.g., volcanism, volcanoes, extrusive rocks

Hint 27

technically, both "ento-" and "endo-" are combining forms and not a prefixes, but don't worry about that

Front 28

enter-, entre-

Back 28

between

Front 29

hemi-

Back 29

half

"hemitrophic" - crystals appearing to be composed of two halves of a crystal turned partly around and united

Front 30

hetero-

Back 30

dissimilar, unlike, other

"heterogranular" - textural term for a rock with crystals of significantly different sizes

Front 31

homo-, homeo-

Back 31

similar, like, same

"homocline" - A general term for a series of rock strata having the same dip. Homoclines include one limb of a fold, a tilted fault block, or an isocline.

Front 32

hypo-

Back 32

under, beneath, decreased, low, beneath, down, below normal

[hypoglycemia]

Front 33

hyper-

Back 33

beyond, increased, above, over, high, excessive, above normal

"hypermelanic" - igneous rocks consisting of 90% to 100% mafic minerals

Front 34

idio-

Back 34

personal, distinct, from within

"idiochromatic" - minerals exhibiting a specific coloring because they contain an agent that is an essential constituent, e.g., copper in malachite, iron in olivine

Hint 34

technically "idio-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 35

i-, in-

Back 35

without, lack of

"insoluble" - incapable of being dissolved in a particular liquid

Front 36

in-, im

Back 36

into, within, in

"implosion" - a bursting inward; sudden collapse; opposite of explosion

Front 37

il-, ir-

Back 37

not

"irregular" polygon - polygon in which neither the sides nor the angles are equal

Front 38

infra-

Back 38

beneath, below

"infrared" - Pertaining to or designating that part of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging in wavelength from 0.7 mu m to about 1 mm (below the wavelength of red in the visible spectrum)

Front 39

int-, intra, intro, inter

Back 39

within, into, inside

"intratelluric" - said of a phenocryst, of an earlier generation than its groundmass, that formed at depth, prior to extrusion of a magma as lava

Hint 39

technically, "inter", "intra-", and "intro" are combining forms and not a prefixes, but don't worry about that

Front 40

iso-

Back 40

equal

"isoseismal" line - a line connecting points on the Earth's surface at which earthquake intensity is the same. It is usually a closed curve around the epicenter.

Front 41

kine-

Back 41

to move

"kinetic" head - the energy of flowing water that is a function of its velocity

Front 42

macro-

Back 42

big, great, long

"macroscopic" - visible without a microscope or in a hand specimen

Front 43

magn- magna-

Back 43

great, large

"megascopic" - said of an object or phenomenon, or of its characteristics, that can be observed with the unaided eye or with a hand lens. Syn: macroscopic

Front 44

mega-, megal-

Back 44

big, great, abnormally largeS [megalith, megalomaniac]

Hint 44

technically "ecto-" and "magal" are combining forms and not a prefixes, but don't worry about that

Front 45

meso-

Back 45

middle

"Mesozoic" Era - the intermediate era of the Phanerozoic Eon, following the Paleozoic Era and preceding the Cenozoic Era, and marked by the dominance of marine and terrestrial reptiles, and the appearance of birds, mammals, and flowering plants

Hint 45

technically "meso-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 46

meta-, met-

Back 46

beyond, change

"metamorphism" - a process whereby rocks undergo physical or chemical changes or both to achieve equilibrium with conditions other than those under which they were originally formed (weathering arbitrarily excluded from meaning). Agents of metamorphism are heat, pressure, and chemically active fluids

Front 47

micro-

Back 47

small

"micrograph" - a reproduction of the image of a magnified object as seen through a microscope. When it is a photograph, it is called a photomicrograph.

Hint 47

technically "micro-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 48

milli-

Back 48

one-thousandth

"millibar" - a unit of atmospheric pressure equal to one-thousandth of a bar or 1,000 dyn/cm2

Hint 48

technically "milli-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 49

ne-

Back 49

not

"nebulite" - a type of mixed rock whose fabric is characterized by indistinct, streaky inhomogeneities (schlieren) in which no sharp distinction can be made between the component parts of the fabric

Front 50

non-

Back 50

not

"nonmetallic" - of or pertaining to a nonmetal

Front 51

ob-, oc-, of-, op-

Back 51

to, toward, against
"obduction"- the overriding or overthrusting of oceanic crust onto the leading edges of continental lithospheric plates; plate accretion

Front 52

olig-

Back 52

few

"oligotrohic" - in lake aging pertains to a youthful lake and indicates water low in accumulated nutrients and high in dissolved oxygen

Hint 52

technically "olig-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 53

omni-

Back 53

all

"omnibus" - In glassmaking, a sheet-iron cover to protect the glass articles from drafts

Front 54

orth-, ortho-

Back 54

straight, right

"orthorhombic" crystal system - crystals with three unequal mutually perpendicular axes

Hint 54

technically "orth-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 55

pachy-

Back 55

thick [pachyderm]

Front 56

pan- , panto-

Back 56

all

"Pangaea" - hypothetical continent from which all others are postulated to have originated through process of fragmentation and drifting

Front 57

para-, par-

Back 57

beside, nearby, variation

"paramorph" - a pseudomorph with the same composition as the original crystal, caused by a phase transformation; e.g., calcite with aragonite morphology

Front 58

peri-

Back 58

around, beyond

"pericline" - a general term for a fold in which the dip of the beds has a central orientation; beds dipping away from a center form a dome, and beds dipping toward a center form a basin. The term is generally British in usage.

Front 59

poly-

Back 59

many

"polymerize" - to chemically combine small molecules into larger molecules

Hint 59

technically "poly-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 60

post-

Back 60

after

"postorogenic" intrustion - an igneous intrusion that took place after an orogenic event or cycle

Front 61

pre-

Back 61

before, first, primitive

"precursor" - relating to earthquakes, refers to events immediately preceding actual shaking of ground. Includes changes in seismic velocities, groundwater levels, and tilt of ground surface

Front 62

pro-

Back 62

in front of, before, forward, preceding, on behalf of, in place of, the same as

"prograde" metamorphism -metamorphic changes in response to a higher pressure or temperature than that to which the rock last adjusted itself

Front 63

re-

Back 63

back, again

"rejuvination" - the renewal of any geologic process, such as the revival of a stream's erosive activity or the reactivation of a fissure

Front 64

retro-

Back 64

backwards, back

"retrograde" metamorhism - the mineralogical adjustment of relatively high-grade metamorphic rocks to temperatures lower than those of their initial metamorphism, characteristically inducing hydration and hydrous minerals. Syn: retrogressive metamorphism; diaphthoresis

Hint 64

technically "retro-" is a combining form and not a prefix, but don't worry about that

Front 65

se-

Back 65

apart

"segregate" - to separate from the general mass, and collect together or become concentrated at a particular place or in a certain region, such as in the process of crystallization or solidification

Front 66

semi-

Back 66

half, partly

"semiprecious" - Of less commercial value than those called precious; applied esp. to such stones as amethyst, garnet, jade, and tourmaline

Front 67

sub-

Back 67

under, below, beneath

"subduction" - act of one tectonic unit's descending under another (commonly slab of lithosphere)

Front 68

super- supra-

Back 68

over, above, beyond, excessive


"supergene" - aid of a mineral deposit or enrichment formed near the surface, commonly by descending solutions; also, said of those solutions and of that environment

Front 69

syn-, syn-, sys-

Back 69

together with

"syncline" - A set of folded, layered rocks dipping downward from opposite directions to come together in a trough.

Front 70

trans-, tra-

Back 70

across, over, through, cross, pass over

"transform" fault - point at which strike-slip displacements stop and another structural feature, such as a ridge, develops

Front 71

tri-

Back 71

three

"Trichroism" - characteristic of a crystal showing three different colors in transmitted light; limited to crystallization in the orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic systems

Front 72

ultra-

Back 72

beyond, excess

"ultramafic" - said of an igneous rock composed chiefly of mafic minerals, e.g., monomineralic rocks composed of hypersthene, augite, or olivine

Front 73

uni-

Back 73

one

map "unit" - a geologic formation regarded as a single entity that shows up as a single unit on a geologic map

Front 74

neut-

Back 74

not one or another

"neutron" - an uncharged elementary particle with a mass that nearly equals that of the proton.

Front 75

litho-

Back 75

rock, stone

"lithosphere" - rigid outer layer of earth; includes crust and upper part of mantle. Relatively strong layer in contrast to underlying asthenosphere

Front 76

tele-

Back 76

distance

"telemagmatic" - said of a hydrothermal mineral deposit located far from its magmatic source

Front 77

pyro-

Back 77

fire

"pyrometer" - an instrument that measures high temperature, e.g., of molten lavas, by electrical or optical means

Front 78

seism-

Back 78

earthquake

"seismology" - scientific study of earthquakes and other earth vibrations

Front 79

kilo-

Back 79

one thousand

"kilometer" - a length of 1,000 meters

Front 80

peri-

Back 80

around, beyond

"peripheral" fault - a fault along the perimeter of a geologically elevated or depressed region

Front 81

topo-

Back 81

place, region, place

"topography" - shape and physical features of land

Front 82

sol-

Back 82

sun

"solar" system - sun with group of celestial bodies held by its gravitational attraction and revolving around it

Front 83

vis-

Back 83

see

"visible" spectrum - that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in which the waves normally produce, upon the human eye, color sensations of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, or their intermediate hues, or of white light if the rays are combined.

Front 84

quad-

Back 84

four

"quadrivalent" - having a chemical valence of 4.

Front 85

over-

Back 85

too much

"overbank" deposits - sediments (usually clay, silt, and fine sand) deposited on flood plain by river overflowing banks

Front 86

chromo-

Back 86

color

"chromography" - in mineral identification, a polished section is placed in contact with photographic paper, a current is passed, and ions migrating to the paper are developed so as to produce a color print suitable for microscrutiny

Front 87

strato-

Back 87

spread out, in layers

"stratovolcano" - a cone-shaped volcano built from alternating layers of pyroclastics and viscous andesitic lava. Stratovolcanos tend to be very large and steep

Front 88

hydro-

Back 88

water

"hydrothermal" - of or pertaining to hot water, to the action of hot water, or to the products of this action, such as a mineral deposit precipitated from a hot aqueous solution, with or without demonstrable association with igneous processes

Front 89

chron-

Back 89

time

"chronostratigraphical" unit - a body of rock established to serve as the material reference for all rocks formed during the same span of time. Each of its boundaries is synchronous

Front 90

tract-

Back 90

pull or drag

"traction" - process of carrying material along bottom of a stream. Traction includes movement by saltation, rolling, or sliding

Front 91

trop-

Back 91

change, turning

Front 92

geo-

Back 92

earth

"geology" - organized body of knowledge about the earth, including physical geology and historical geology, among others

Front 93

sym-

Back 93

together, with

"symmetrical" fold - a fold whose limbs have the same angle of dip relative to the axial surface

Front 94

astr-, astro-, aster-

Back 94

star

"asterism" - s starlike effect observed in certain minerals either by transmitted or by reflected light

Front 95

paleo-

Back 95

great age or remoteness in regard to time

"paleobotany" - the study of plants of past geological ages through the investigation of fossils

Hint 95

A prefix indicating pre-Tertiary origin, and generally altered character, of a rock to the name of which it is added, such as "paleopicrite"; by some the prefix has been applied to pre-Carboniferous rocks or features, such as the PaleoAtlantic Ocean

Front 96

xen-, xeno-

Back 96

strange, foreign

"xenolith" - an inclusion in an igneous rock not genetically related. OPPOSITE: autolith

Front 97

Oo-

Back 97

egg; Pronounced o'-o

"oolitic" limestone - a limestone made up of small round spherules that look like eggs

Front 98

leuko-, lecuo-

Back 98

white

"leucocratic" - light-colored; applied to igneous rocks that are relatively poor in mafic minerals. The percentage of mafic minerals necessary for a rock to be classified as leucocratic varies among petrologists, but is usually given as less than 30% to 37.5%

Front 99

melan-

Back 99

dark or black

"melanocratic" -Applied to dark-colored rocks, especially igneous rocks, containing between 60% and 100% dark minerals

Front 100

neo-

Back 100

new

"neominerallization" - chemical interchange within a rock whereby its mineral constituents are converted into new mineral species; a type of recrystallization

Front 101

aero-

Back 101

air

"aerosol" - particles, solid or liquid, suspended in air