Having a smooth, curved, shell-like fracture pattern (used to describe how certain minerals and stones break).
From 'conchoid' with the suffix '-al'. Describes a specific type of fracture observed in minerals like obsidian and flint.
When flint or obsidian breaks conchoidally, it creates smooth curved fracture surfaces—ancient humans recognized this pattern and used flint specifically for tools because its conchoidal fractures created sharp edges perfect for cutting, making the first stone tools work like natural glass blades.
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