noun
noun Geology.
- Also called calcareous tufa, calc-tufa, calc-tuff. a porous limestone formed from calcium carbonate deposited by springs or the like.Compare travertine.
- (not in technical use) tuff2.
noun
- another name for tufa
noun
- a soft porous rock consisting of calcium carbonate deposited from springs rich in limeAlso called: calc-tufa
“a porous rock,” 1770, from Italian tufa “tufa, porous rock,” probably from Latin tufus, tophus “loose, porous volcanic rock,” said to be an Oscan-Umbrian loan-word.
- A soft, friable, and porous sedimentary rock consisting of calcium carbonate and formed by the evaporation of water, especially at the mouth of a hot spring or on a drying lakebed. It is similar to, but harder than, travertine.