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Amphibolite and Basalt


Basalt and Amphibolite


Definition

Definition
Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase   
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
Egypt   

Discoverer
Alexandre Brongniart   
Georgius Agricola   

Etymology
From Amphibole + -ite   
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Banded, Foliated, Massive   
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   

Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey   
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Appearance
Foliated   
Dull and Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings   
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone   
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Monuments   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums   

Types

Types
Hornblendite   
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite   

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny   
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.   
Basalt forms when lava reaches the Earth's surface near an active volcano. The temperature of lava is between 1100 to 1250° C when it gets to the surface.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite   
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
No   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Not Available   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
6   

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Irregular to Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White to Grey   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Vitreous to Dull   
Not Available   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
37.40 N/mm2   
28

Cleavage
Irregular   
Not Available   

Toughness
2.3   
2.3   

Specific Gravity
2.5   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.85-3.07 g/cm3   
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Russia, Turkey   
India, Russia   

Africa
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda   
South Africa   

Europe
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland   
Iceland   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
South Australia, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Amphibolite and Basalt Properties

Know all about Amphibolite and Basalt properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Amphibolite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Basalt belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Amphibolite is Banded, Foliated, Massive whereas that of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular. Amphibolite appears Foliated and Basalt appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Amphibolite is vitreous to dull while that of Basalt is not available. Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors whereas Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Amphibolite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork and that of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums.

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