Skarns

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Metamorphic rocks formed by the chemical alteration of carbonate rocks through contact with hot, chemically active fluids; such rocks commonly contain economic deposits of metals like copper, iron, or tungsten
2. A type of mineral-rich rock created by the interaction of limestone or dolomite with intrusive igneous bodies, characterized by a diverse assemblage of silicate minerals and often associated with valuable ore concentrations
3. Rocks resulting from metasomatic processes at the margin of igneous intrusions where carbonate rocks are replaced by calc-silicate minerals, frequently serving as exploration targets for metalliferous ore deposits

Etymology: "Skarns" is the plural of "skarn," a noun for a type of altered limestone rock, typically formed where limestone has been transformed by heat and chemically active fluids from nearby igneous intrusions. The rock's name came into English from Swedish, where "skarn" meant "skarn" in the sense of filth or rubbish, a reflection of how miners regarded the unproductive rock they had to dig through. That Swedish word goes back to Old Norse "skarn," which in turn descends from a Proto-Germanic form, so the term has deep Scandinavian roots. English also has a doublet, "sharn," which comes from the same ancestral source and carries the same sense of dirt or dung. The two forms reached English by different routes, one a mining term borrowed directly, the other an older word that had long been part of the language.

Synonyms: metasomatic rocks, contact metamorphic rocks