Meaning & use

clastic

adjective·Advanced

Composed of fragments of pre-existing rocks or minerals, used especially of certain sedimentary rock.

See it in a sentence

Sandstone is a common clastic rock formed from grains of sand cemented together.

Geologists classified the layer as clastic because it was made of broken rock fragments.

A note on using this word

Clastic rocks are defined by their fragmented origin, in contrast to rocks formed by chemical precipitation or organic material.

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