tufa Hear it!

tufa Definition

tufa (to̵̅o̅fə, tyo̵̅o̅-)

noun

any of various sedimentary rocks, as travertine, made up of deposits of calcium carbonate formed by evaporation or precipitation in or near a cave, spring, lake, etc.

Etymology: It tufo, tufa, kind of porous stone < L tofus, tuff, tufa

tufa Related Forms
tu·fa·ceous (--fās̸həs) adjective
tufa Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • calcareous: They include fantastic rock formations, karst cliffs and caves and terraces of calcareous tufa.
  • volcanic: There are those binding stones and consolidating the material with burnt lime and volcanic tufa.

Modifies a noun

  • formation: Current tufa formation at Nash Brook appears to reflect the interaction of hydrological and biological controls.
  • rock: The adventurous can still spend a night in one of the cave dwellings hewn from the tufa rock.
  • deposition: Water was sampled at the fall, where tufa deposition on twigs and leaves is evident.
  • deposit: In Trench 4 the tufa deposits were 40m wide starting 18m from the north end of the trench.
  • stone: Trulli are small, picturesque rural houses ( also built of tufa stone ) some dating from the 15th century.
  • waterfall: She is traditionally supposed to have resided at the tufa waterfall still known as Janet's Foss.

Browse dictionary entries near tufa

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