microcontinentaladj.
/ˌmʌɪkrə(ʊ)kɒntᵻˈnɛntl/, U.S. /ˌmaɪkroʊkɑntəˈnɛn(t)əl/ Geology.
Of or relating to a microcontinent.
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the world > the earth > land > land mass > continent > [adjective] > microcontinent
microcontinental1966
1966 R. W. Fairbridge Encycl. Oceanogr. 964/2 Submarine ridges and rises in other oceans..often have foundations of ‘microcontinental’ blocks.
1974 Nature 14 Mar. 204/2 This suggests that the Rockall–Faeroe Plateau as a whole may form a single microcontinental fragment.
1993 Jrnl. Petrol. 34 713 During the Ordovician, northern and central Wales are interpreted to have been an ensialic marginal basin, forming part of microcontinental Eastern Avalonia.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1966