batholite

Variant of batholith

noun

a massive, dome-shaped formation of intrusive igneous rock, usually granite, that is thought to have originated far beneath the earth's surface, forms the base of mountain ranges, and is often found exposed as the result of long periods of erosion
often called batholite

Origin: batho- + -lith

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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