n. pl. tor·nil·los 1. See screwbean mesquite. 2. A seismic signal associated with magma flow within a volcano and consisting of low frequency seismic waves that appear on a seismogram as a line resembling a screw seen from the side. [Spanish, little lathe, screw, screw bean, diminutive of torno, lathe, from Latin tornus; see TURN.] |
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