rock varnish

noun

A dark coating on rock surfaces exposed to the atmosphere, mostly comprising clay and oxides, which grows at only a few micrometers per thousand years; found especially in arid deserts.

Similar
desert varnish
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Meanings

nounrock varnish (countable and uncountable, plural rock varnishes)

plural rock varnishes

  1. countableuncountableA dark coating on rock surfaces exposed to the atmosphere, mostly comprising clay and oxides, which grows at only a few micrometers per thousand years; found especially in arid deserts.

    Synonyms: desert varnish

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA dark coating on rock surfaces exposed to the atmosphere, mostly comprising clay and oxides, which grows at only a few micrometers per thousand years; found especially in arid deserts.

Similar
desert varnish
Also see
desert varnish
Cite this entry
APA

rock varnish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20varnish

MLA

“rock varnish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20varnish. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rock varnish,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rock%20varnish.

Source: rock varnish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.