subsurface
noun
sub·sur·face
| \ ˈsəb-ˌsər-fəs
\
\
Definition of subsurface
(Entry 1 of 2)
: earth material (such as rock) near but not exposed at the surface of the ground
subsurface
adjective
sub·sur·face
| \ ˌsəb-ˈsər-fəs
\
\
Definition of subsurface (Entry 2 of 2)
: of, relating to, or being something located beneath a surface and especially underground
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for subsurface
Synonyms: Adjective
belowground, subterranean, underground
Antonyms: Adjective
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of subsurface in a Sentence
Adjective
a sandy wasteland that gave little hint of its subsurface wealthRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
An aerial survey would have provided some information about the subsurface conditions, although such surveys are less detailed and useful than on-the-ground seismic work. — New York Times, "Arctic Refuge Likely Won’t Be Surveyed Before Oil Lease Sales," 8 July 2019 Experts expect the water in this sunless subsurface reservoir to be the same temperature as the shallows of the Pacific Ocean. — Shannon Stirone, Scientific American, "New NASA Mission Will Fly Titan’s Frigid Skies to Search for Life’s Beginnings," 27 June 2019 Previously, scientists would collect surface ice measurements and infer the properties of subsurface realms, but Peden had a plan to delve into the research even further. — Kristen Pope, Smithsonian, "Trailblazing Engineer Irene Peden Broke Antarctic Barriers for Women," 8 June 2019 The Pohang plant works by pumping thousands of gallons of water deep beneath the Earth’s surface and into small subsurface cracks. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "One of the Worst Earthquakes in Korea's History Was Caused by Humans," 21 Mar. 2019 Wells used to be drilled with fewer wells per site, they weren't drilled as long, the hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - was less intense, and the subsurface modeling was constantly in flux. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "WoodMac: Deepwater and shale oil now have more in common," 28 June 2019 Titan also appears to have a subsurface ocean made of liquid water, protected by a water-ice crust. — Amina Khan, latimes.com, "NASA to send huge Dragonfly drone to search for life on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon," 27 June 2019 Filling out the subsurface picture Analysis of the seismic data is an enormous task. — Emilie Hooft, The Conversation, "We probed Santorini’s volcano with sound to learn what’s going on beneath the surface," 24 June 2019 The team suggests two possibilities to explain the subsurface mass. — National Geographic, "Huge mystery blob found under the moon's far side," 11 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Far from being an inert snowball, Pluto proved to be an active world of mountains, glaciers and perhaps even a subsurface liquid-water ocean. — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, "Debunking Animal Myths, the Truth about Time and Other New Science Books," 1 May 2018 The peaks might come from subsurface chemical reactions between rocks and water, carbon-rich meteorites that enter the atmosphere, or from sudden releases from reservoirs beneath Mars’ surface. — Nisha Gaind, Scientific American, "Mars Probe Poised to Solve Red Planet’s Methane Mystery," 26 Apr. 2018 Titan is thought to possess a subsurface liquid ocean that could be a breeding ground for biological life. — Neel V. Patel, Slate Magazine, "NASA Is Pivoting to Astrobiology," 21 Dec. 2017 With this equipment, the researchers can generate a subsurface electrical field to indicate features such as stone or brick walls and old pits. — Karen Farkas, cleveland.com, "President James A. Garfield's former home to be studied by archeologists," 11 Oct. 2017 Property rights harness the discovery process—encouraging efficiency. Perhaps most relevant, however, is the ease with which subsurface mineral rights could be reconfigured. — WSJ, "Oil and Spectrum Rights Models Offer a Clue," 9 Oct. 2017 Environmentalist groups have argued subsurface wells beneath the ocean floor would be preferable to protect microscopic marine life. — Lauren Williams, Orange County Register, "Barbara Boxer to lobby for desalination plant in Huntington Beach," 19 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subsurface.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more