Relating to or made of rock fragments that have been broken down and transported by erosion, as in clastic rocks like sandstone.
From Greek 'klastos' (broken) + '-ic' (relating to). This geological term became standard in English in the 19th century as a descriptor for sedimentary rock types.
Geologists use 'clastic' to distinguish rocks made from broken fragments (like sandstone) from rocks formed by crystallization (like granite) or chemical precipitation—two completely different formation stories.
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