1. Plural of dolerite; a dark, fine-grained igneous rock composed mainly of pyroxene and plagioclase feldspar.
Usage: geology; technical

Examples

• The geologist identified dolerites in the rock samples collected from the quarry.
• Dolerites are commonly used as crushed stone for road construction and railway ballast.
• The cliff face exposed layers of dolerites interspersed with sedimentary rocks.
• These dolerites formed from the slow cooling of magma beneath the Earth's surface.
• The dark color of dolerites makes them easily distinguishable from lighter igneous rocks.