visible streaks produced in a transparent medium as a result of variations in the medium's density leading to variations in refractive index. They can be recorded by flash photography (schlieren photography)
2.
streaks or platelike masses of mineral in a rock mass, that differ in texture or composition from the main mass
Derived forms
schlieric (ˈschlieric)
adjective
Word origin
German, plural of Schliere streak
schlieren in American English
(ˈʃlɪrən)
plural nounWord forms: singularˈschliere (ˈʃlɪrə)
1.
small streaks or masses in igneous rocks, differing in composition from the main rock but blending gradually into it
2. Optics
regions in a translucent medium, as a fluid, that have a different density and consequently a different index of refraction than the medium and that can be photographed as shadows produced by the refraction of light passed through these regions