Geology and Minerals

Dike (geology)

In geology, a dike or dyke is a sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture of a pre-existing rock body. Dikes can be either magmatic or sedimentary in origin. Magmatic dikes form when magma flows into a crack then solidifies as a sheet intrusion, either cutting across layers of rock or through a contiguous mass of rock. Clastic dikes are formed when sediment fills a pre-existing crack.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Anticline
• ▸Cataract (beam engine)
• ▸Onehunga Ironworks

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