tumulus

views updated May 08 2018

tumulus A small mound or dome-like up-lift, up to 20 m or more in diameter, on the crust of a lava flow. Upwarping of the flow crust is caused by the hydrostatic overpressure of lava within the flow interior, or by excess pressure developed due to the difference in rate of flow between the cooler crust and the more fluid lava below it. Unlike a lava blister, a tumulus is a solid structure.

tumulus

views updated May 11 2018

tumulus. Mound of earth erected over a prehistoric tomb, etc. If made of stones it is called a cairn, An elongated mound is a barrow.

tumulus

views updated May 21 2018

tumulus an ancient burial mound; a barrow. Recorded from late Middle English, the word is from Latin, and is related to tumere ‘to swell’.

tumulus

views updated May 18 2018

tumulus pl. -li sepulchral mound. XVII. — L., rel. to tumēre swell.