accretionary - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about accretionary Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,516,572,028 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

accretion
(redirected from accretionary)

    Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.

accretion

In astrophysics, process by which an object gathers up surrounding material by gravitational attraction, thus simultaneously increasing in mass and releasing gravitational energy. Accretion onto compact objects, such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, can release large amounts of gravitational energy and is believed to be the power source for active galaxies. Accreted material falling towards a star may form a swirling disc of material known as an accretion disc that can be a source of X-rays. Earth, and other planetary bodies in the Solar System, are thought to have formed by accretion of nebular material and planetesimals.



How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
 Email
Feedback
?Sign in SSL protected
Email:
Password:
Register

? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
The bodies may represent dismembered, complexly sheared and metamorphosed material caught up in an accretionary wedge during the Appalachian Taconie Orogeny (Williams, 1984).
Geology of the Parliament Buildings 5: Geology of the Manitoba ... by Young, Jeff / Geoscience Canada
250 Ma) Paleozoic accretionary orogen, punctuated by accretion of small oceanic terranes and four major oblique collisional events: Taconic, Salinic, Acadian and Alleghenian.
PanLITHOPROBE workshop IV: IntraOrogen correlations and comparative ... by van Staal, C. / Geoscience Canada
The Barga Terrane is interpreted as having formed in ocean-margin environment with active island-and-Andean type magnetic arcs, rifted basis, accretionary wedges and continental margins.
Apiva Announces It Has Acquired An Interest In Mineral Exploration ... by Business Wire
More results
 
Hutchinson browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Hutchinson Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.