noun
- Plural of dunite; igneous rocks composed almost entirely of the mineral olivine.
Usage: geology; technical
Examples
- Dunites are found in the Earth's mantle and in some meteorites.
- The composition of dunites makes them valuable for studying mantle processes.
- Olivine-rich dunites are often associated with ultramafic igneous rocks.
- Geologists collected samples of dunites from the exposed mantle section.