Basalt vs Serpentinite

Basalt vs Serpentinite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Basalt and Serpentinite Reserves. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth. A hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle is called as serpentinization, a group of minerals is formed by serpentinization compose rock 'serpentinite'.. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Basalt vs Serpentinite information and Basalt vs Serpentinite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Basalt vs Serpentinite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Basalt vs Serpentinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Serpentinite. Learn more about Basalt vs Serpentinite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Serpentinite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Serpentinite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Basalt in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Serpentinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement.

More about Basalt and Serpentinite

Here you can know more about Basalt and Serpentinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Serpentinite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Serpentinite includes Carbonate, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Serpentinite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Serpentinite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Serpentinite is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Serpentinite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Serpentinite is 3-5. The types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite whereas types of Serpentinite are Jadeitite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Basalt is white to grey while that of Serpentinite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Serpentinite is 0.95 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Serpentinite is heat resistant.