Paraconformity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A gap in the geological record where layers of rock appear parallel to one another but represent a significant passage of time with no deposition
2. A type of unconformity in which rock strata are aligned and seemingly continuous but actually represent a missing interval of geological history
3. An erosional surface between parallel rock layers that indicates a break in sedimentation despite the apparent conformity of their orientation

Etymology: Paraconformity is a geological term for a boundary between rock layers that look parallel and continuous but hide a gap in time. The layers above and below the boundary lie parallel to one another, so no tilting or folding betrays the break; the missing time can only be inferred from fossils, dating, or the nature of the contact itself. The word's structure is transparent: "para-", from Greek meaning "beside" or "alongside", attached to "conformity", the state of lying in agreement with something else. Together they describe layers that conform in attitude while the record between them has been lost.

Synonyms: unconformity, disconformity