, Brazil
A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains, or a single large piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument or building. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid metamorphic or igneous rock.
In architecture, the term has considerable overlap with megalith, which is normally used for prehistory, and may be used in the contexts of rock-cut architecture that remains attached to solid rock, as in monolithic church, or for exceptionally large stones such as obelisks, statues, monolithic columns or large architraves, that may have been moved a considerable distance after quarrying. It may also be used of large glacial erratics moved by natural forces.
The word derives, via the Latin monolithus, from the Ancient Greek word μονόλιθος (monolithos), from μόνος ("one" or "single") and λίθος ("stone").
Large, well-known monoliths include:
A monolithic catalyst support is an extruded substrate widely used in vehicle catalytic converters.
Monolithic catalyst supports are extruded substrates that are widely used in automotive and stationary emission control devices and other kind of reactors in the chemical industry. In automotive applications ceramic monoliths are made of synthetic cordierite, 2MgO*2Al2O3*5SiO2 which has a low thermal expansion coefficient. A monolithic catalyst support consists of many parallel channels separated by thin walls that are coated with the catalytic active substance, most commonly a metal like platinum. The channels may be round or polygonal (mainly square or hexagonal). The structure is reminiscent of a honeycomb. The cell density may be from 30 to 200/cm2 with the separating walls from 0.05 to 0.3 mm. Because of a high open frontal area (the open spaces in the cross-sectional area) of 72 to 87% pressure loss of gases flowing through the structure is low, an important feature to minimize efficiency losses in vehicles.
Monolith is a box set made by avant-garde music composer Buckethead under the name of Death Cube K (an anagram of Buckethead), released in December 2007 through TDRS Music.
This box set contains five unmarked CD-Rs in unmarked digipaks, each one including only one unbroken track. Some listeners theorize the five discs are intended to be played simultaneously like Zaireeka by The Flaming Lips. The title Monolith as well as the result of combining the tracks have been cited as evidence for the theory by fans. Producer Travis Dickerson declined to solve the mystery.
Currently, this set is exclusively available on the TDRS website.
Each song is a separate disc.
[Verse 1]
I stare into the face of death
and the fear that's so obvious
wordplay is the way that I conquer it
shivalry's not dead if the living honor it
i send a message to men on all continents
and this is my imperial decree
to who so ever steals material from me
the emcee who comes with new abilities
and the same man in king david luther's philistines
cuz when it comes to emcees they leave you
no choice but to destroy the embodiment of evil
deadly force against the source of upheavel, that seems to
oppress and bring death to my people
the way to defy this death
is to keep kicking rhymes until there's no rhymes left
the emperor takes the form of the giant dredd
with the body of a man, and a lion's head
and this dence urban jungle of great disorder
cd players, turntables and tape recorders
become the tools that I use to erase the borders
between me and the secret and ancient order
that I swore to protect and uphold
if you're looking for the bloodiest battle, you've struck gold
from young to old, ripe and then rotten
i came to drop bombs like osama bin laden
using poisonious chemicles to shower fools
ravenous animals devour fools
i build a giant robot to overpower crews
using pens and pencils like power tools
a fifty-foot metal man, named lyricore
will stand up to the bully and hit him in the jaw
cuz when I step in the door
it takes a minute for the emperor, senator, madator, minitor
kicking bitterness to show it ain't sweet
whether it's a dark cave, or the middle of the street
cuz the only thing happening the next time we meet