Crossword clues for pellets
Wiktionary
Wikipedia
Pellets are small spherical to ovoid or rod-shaped grains that are common component of many limestones. They are typically 0.03 to 0.3 mm long and composed of carbonate mud ( micrite). Their most common size is 0.04 to 0.08 mm. Pellets typically lack any internal structure and are remarkably uniform in size and shape in any single limestone sample. They consist either of aggregated carbonate mud, precipitated calcium carbonate, or a mixture of both. They either are or were composed either of aragonite, calcite, or a mixture of both. Also, pellets composed of either glauconite or phosphorite are common in marine sedimentary rocks. Pellets occur in Precambrian through Phanerozoic strata. They are an important component mainly in Phanerozoic strata. The consensus among sedimentologists and petrographers is that pellets are the fecal products of invertebrate organisms because of their constant size, shape, and extra-high content of organic matter.
Pellets differ from oolites and intraclasts, which are also found in limestones. They differ oolites in that pellets lack the radial or concentric structures that characterize oolites. They differ from intraclasts in that pellets lack the complex internal structure, which is typical of intraclasts. In addition, pellets, quite unlike intraclasts, are characterized by a remarkable uniformity of shape, extremely good sorting, and small size.
By definition, pellets differ from peloids, in that pellets have a specific size, shape, and implied origin—while peloids vary widely in size, shape, and origin. Pellets, in the strict sense, are fecal products of invertebrate organisms. Peloids are allochems of any size, structure, or origin. As a result, peloids not only include possible pellets, but also include a variety of other distinctly non-pellet grains—such as indistinct intraclasts, micritized ooids, or fossil fragments. In addition, some peloids are even microbial or inorganic precipitates. Carbonate geologists consider the vast majority of peloids as secondary allochems created by biological degradation or “micritization” of other primary carbonate grains, i.e., ooids, bioclasts, or pellets.
Usage examples of "pellets".
Even as they touched the ground, their small guns flicked deadly explosive pellets that picked off the dazed League soldiers who still sought to fight.
The atomic pellets from his pistol exploded amid the bank of giant tubes.
Guns went off, the explosion of their atomic pellets rocking the night.
The blinding flare of the atomic pellets darkened the soft nebula glow.
But wherever those pellets blasted the strange invaders, the rubbery men simply melted.
As the angry blizzard raged, she faced the lash of stinging pellets and squinted her eyes open, then turned away and took another few steps.
The ice was just as frozen, the tiny pellets of wind-driven snow just as hard.
Sometimes, however, this lack of caution backfired, because Mercedes would be on all fours hiding behind a lilac bush or some tulips, and she would pop up with her pitching arm going like balls of fire as soon as Harlan entered the invisible but well-marked sphere of her range, and without fail her sudden appearance, plus the accuracy of her pellets, would give the big blubbery man such a start that on several occasions he actually fell down from surprise, and he almost always emerged from these sneak attacks with his heart thundering in a terribly unhealthy manner.
From two other devices, which made a fearful racket, poured a hail of metal pellets trailing red sparks.
He would willingly sleep under a stormy sky if he had half a dozen pellets to soften the spasms of his demon-tortured legs.
All the power Cerix really wanted now was the power to get a large enough supply of pellets to make his pain go away.
Stray pellets tore his earlobe and the top of his shoulder and the spreading fingers of the trailing shot cup raked his neck, painting it with blood.
In the bathroom, I found a can of Comet so close to empty the remaining cleanser had formed pellets that rattled around the bottom like dried peas.
Gerard and I in due course found ourselves in the casualty department of the local major hospital where he was whisked off to regions unseen and I sat with my bare newly-washed arm on a small table while a middle-aged nursing sister expertly and unemotionally picked pellets out with a glittering instrument reminiscent of tweezers.
He had stopped bleeding both inside and out, it appeared, but several pellets were inaccessible to tweezers and he would have to stay overnight until the theatre staff returned in force in the morning.