sub·sur·face
ˈsəb-ˌsər-fəs 
: earth material (such as rock) near but not exposed at the surface of the ground
sub·sur·face
ˌsəb-ˈsər-fəs
: of, relating to, or being something located beneath a surface and especially underground
Synonyms
Examples of subsurface in a Sentence
Adjective
a sandy wasteland that gave little hint of its subsurface wealth
Recent Examples on the Web
Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Galileo space probe have detected evidence of water plumes erupting from Europa’s surface, potentially indicating the subsurface sea has a source of heat that could sustain organisms.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
Again, tapping into our capabilities to understand the subsurface drill, extract liquids, in this case water, extract lithium from the water and reinject that water.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024
Specifically, it has been suggested that core convection, or turbulence from subsurface convection zones, could produce gravity waves that ripple outward to the surface.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 22 Aug. 2023
The strikes came from the air, surface and subsurface, the U.S. Naval Institute reported, including fighter jets from a base in the Middle East and from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
There’s evidence of subsurface oceans at several icy moons in the solar system, including Jupiter’s moon Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus and, suggested just last week, its small moon Mimas.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
After all, Enceladus, a moon of Saturn known to have a subsurface ocean, spurts geysers of water out of fractures in its crust—but the frigid, quiet Mimas stands in stark contrast to that.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024
The ocean is still evolving, so Mimas may offer a unique window into the processes behind how subsurface oceans have formed on other icy moons, the researchers said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
Liz Kruesi, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2015
An entire ocean’s worth is unlikely, but a significant amount of subsurface water isn’t.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022
After analyzing that data, researchers had a subsurface picture of the rocks, clay and thermal liquid below Yellowstone.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 May 2022
Evaluation protocols of subsurface measurements and training of all rig site personnel have improved the drilling economics of this geothermal project.
—Ian Palmer, Forbes, 19 May 2022
The team is set to land near the lunar south pole because previous evidence suggests that the area may contain subsurface water ice, per Gizmodo.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2022
Shallow pools of subsurface water froze and fractured the surface again and again.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 22 Apr. 2022
This is an important scientific mission tasked with searching for ice at the south pole and using a one-meter drill to prospect for subsurface samples.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Apr. 2022
In Greenland, the ridges formed when shallow pools of subsurface water froze, thawed and refroze, fracturing the surface over time, the Guardian reports.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Apr. 2022
Noun
One project, for example, might involve studying the seismology of Venus through balloons that are tested first on Earth, or the deployment of small subsurface drones to study melting of Antarctic ice shelves.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Galileo space probe have detected evidence of water plumes erupting from Europa’s surface, potentially indicating the subsurface sea has a source of heat that could sustain organisms.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
Again, tapping into our capabilities to understand the subsurface drill, extract liquids, in this case water, extract lithium from the water and reinject that water.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024
Specifically, it has been suggested that core convection, or turbulence from subsurface convection zones, could produce gravity waves that ripple outward to the surface.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 22 Aug. 2023
The strikes came from the air, surface and subsurface, the U.S. Naval Institute reported, including fighter jets from a base in the Middle East and from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
There’s evidence of subsurface oceans at several icy moons in the solar system, including Jupiter’s moon Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus and, suggested just last week, its small moon Mimas.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
After all, Enceladus, a moon of Saturn known to have a subsurface ocean, spurts geysers of water out of fractures in its crust—but the frigid, quiet Mimas stands in stark contrast to that.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024
The ocean is still evolving, so Mimas may offer a unique window into the processes behind how subsurface oceans have formed on other icy moons, the researchers said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
Adjective
So Marco Mastrogiuseppe, a researcher on the Cassini team who had used instruments like RADAR to map subsurface water on Mars, decided to try something.
—Liz Kruesi, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2015
An entire ocean’s worth is unlikely, but a significant amount of subsurface water isn’t.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022
After analyzing that data, researchers had a subsurface picture of the rocks, clay and thermal liquid below Yellowstone.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 May 2022
Evaluation protocols of subsurface measurements and training of all rig site personnel have improved the drilling economics of this geothermal project.
—Ian Palmer, Forbes, 19 May 2022
The team is set to land near the lunar south pole because previous evidence suggests that the area may contain subsurface water ice, per Gizmodo.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2022
Shallow pools of subsurface water froze and fractured the surface again and again.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 22 Apr. 2022
This is an important scientific mission tasked with searching for ice at the south pole and using a one-meter drill to prospect for subsurface samples.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Apr. 2022
In Greenland, the ridges formed when shallow pools of subsurface water froze, thawed and refroze, fracturing the surface over time, the Guardian reports.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subsurface.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near subsurface
Cite this Entry
“Subsurface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsurface. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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