GeoMiner Free earth-science tools

Built by a geologist

Concordant identification and geology

Describing a geological feature—typically an igneous intrusion or a structural boundary—that is parallel to the bedding or foliation of the surrounding rock. Concordant intrusions include sills, laccoliths, and lopoliths. The term is contrasted with discordant, which describes features that cut across pre-existing layering. Field: structural geology. Example: The Palisades Sill along the Hudson River in New Jersey is a concordant diabase intrusion that was emplaced between Triassic sedimentary layers approximately 200 million years ago.. Related terms: Discordant, Sill, Bedding, Laccolith.

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:41.970235+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

Read GeoMiner's editorial methodology or report a content issue.

Common questions

What does Concordant mean in geology?
Describing a geological feature—typically an igneous intrusion or a structural boundary—that is parallel to the bedding or foliation of the surrounding rock. Concordant intrusions include sills, laccoliths, and lopoliths. The term is contrasted with discordant, which describes features that cut across pre-existing layering.
What is an example of Concordant?
The Palisades Sill along the Hudson River in New Jersey is a concordant diabase intrusion that was emplaced between Triassic sedimentary layers approximately 200 million years ago.
Which earth-science field uses the term Concordant?
Concordant is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Concordant?
Related terms in this reference are Discordant, Sill, Bedding, Laccolith.

JavaScript is loading the interactive GeoMiner experience. The identification tools provide educational candidates, not laboratory confirmation.