Allochthonous (Adjective)
Meaning
Of rocks, deposits, etc.; found in a place other than where they and their constituents were formed.
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The allochthonous boulders that dotted the landscape were a testament to the region's complex geological history.
- The coral reef was formed from the accumulation of allochthonous sediments, including fragments of shells and skeletons.
- Geochemists struggled to explain the origin of the allochthonous gold deposits found in the ancient riverbed.
- The allochthonous rocks that made up the island's shores were formed in a distant oceanic trench millions of years ago.
- The glacial erratics that covered the valley floor were a classic example of allochthonous rocks, having been transported from the mountains by ice.