schlieren
/ˈʃlɪərən
/plural noun technical
1Discernible layers in a transparent material that differ from the surrounding material in density or composition.
1.1 Geology Irregular streaks or masses in igneous rock that differ from the surrounding rock in texture or composition.Rare mafic enclaves, which include both xenoliths of country rock and magma pods more mafic than the host monzogranite, as well as schlieren, are parallel to this compositional banding....
- These migmatites may be divided into three facies on the basis of their mesoscopic structures: schlieren, nebulitic and transitional.
- The age pattern of cordierite leucogranites is neatly bimodal, with a population centred exactly on the same value as the schlieren and nebulitic mesocratic migmatites.
Origin
Late 19th century: from German Schlieren, plural of Schliere 'streak'.