TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

SOFT ROCK [2 records]

Record 1 2004-10-20

English

Subject field(s)
  • Petrography
  • Soil Mechanics (Engineering)
CONT

The definition of rock from an engineering or functional viewpoint is complicated by structures and defects. A rock that is hard but fractured may be easier to excavate than a softer but more coherent material. Although the fractured rock is easier to excavate, it may require bracing to support it in a deep excavation, whereas the soft rock may stand without support.

OBS

An imprecise term used to denote materials that are more coherent than soils, yet are less coherent than many rocks. Two empirical definitions are that a soft rock does not need to be excavated by blasting, and that a soft rock has an unconfined compressive strength of between 400 and 1000 kN/m². It may be noted that to the geologist all sedimentary rocks are termed soft rocks, which may lead to confusion in an engineering context, since many sedimentary rocks cannot be excavated mechanically.

OBS

Antonym: hard rock.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Pétrographie
  • Mécanique des sols
CONT

[...] on peut classer les sols en trois catégories d'après leur résistance à la compression ou force portante. 1) Sols très résistants dits «Incompressibles». Dans cette catégorie entrent notamment : Les roches dures telles que les roches éruptives et les calcaires durs [...] Les roches tendres telles que les calcaires tendres, les marnes et les argiles compactes [...] Les sables et graviers [...] 2) Sols moyennement compressibles ou élastiques [...] 3) Sols indéfiniment compressibles.

Spanish

Save record 1

Record 2 1991-10-16

English

Subject field(s)
  • Popular Music
DEF

a type of rock music which is less strident than hard rock ....

CONT

It appears that the station had been playing "light" or "foot-in-the-grave rock" - easy listening - nothing too heavy to excite anyone till about 10 p.m. and had then put on "heavier rock" to appeal to a younger audience.

Key term(s)
  • foot-in-the-grave rock music
  • light rock music

French

Domaine(s)
  • Musique populaire

Spanish

Save record 2

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