30 SEPTEMBER 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Frequently-Used Geological Terms Part 96 Glossary Adapted from the Dictionary of Geological Terms S Specimen - A sample such as a fossil, rock, or ore; among miners, often restricted to carefully chosen samples which may include pieces of ore, crystals, or fragments of quartz showing visible gold. Speculative Resources - Undiscovered mineral resources which may occur in known types of deposits in favorable geologic settings where discoveries are yet to be made, or in unknown types of deposits remaining to be recognized. Speleochronology - Dating or chronology of a cave’s formation, mineral deposits, or filling. Dating may be relative or absolute. Speleologist - A scientist engaged in speleology, commonly referred to as a spelunker. Speleology - Exploration and scientific study of caves, including their origins, morphology, and mineralogy. Spit - A small point of sand or gravel projecting from the shore into a body of water; a fingerlike extension of the beach. S Plane - In structural geology, a nongenetic term for any planar fabric element. Spoil - Overburden or other waste material removed in mining, quarrying, dredging, or excavating. Spot Elevation - An elevation shown on a topographic map at a critical point, such as a road intersection, to supplement map information given by contour lines and benchmarks. Spud - To commence well drilling. Squeeze Job - Forcing of cement slurry into a borehole to recement a channeled area behind the casing, or close off perforations. State-Line Fault - A tongue-in-cheek term for the discontinuity of geologic structures appearing at the borders of geologic maps of adjacent areas - such as state boundaries - owing to differences in interpretation. Station - 1. A position at which a geophysical observation is made. 2. A point on the earth’s surface whose position is determined by surveying methods, e.g. a triangular station. Stone Age - In archaeology, a cultural level which was originally the first division of the “three-age system”, and later divided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic. It is characterized by the use of materials other than metal, e.g. stone, wood, or bone for technical purposes. Stope - An underground excavation formed by the extraction of ore. Strategic Materials - Materials vital to a nation’s security, which must be procured from foreign sources because available domestic production will not meet demand in time of war. Stratification - 1. The arrangement of sedimentary rocks in strata; may be indicated by differences in texture, cementation, color, or composition. 2. Layering in a mass of snow or ice. 3. The arrangement of waters of a lake in layers of differing density. Stratified - Formed, arranged, or laid down in layers or strata; especially said of any layered sedimentary rock or deposit. Stratification exposed in a quarry in Wray, Colorado. Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. Look for more terms soon! DIR
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