Home
Compare Rocks


Anorthosite vs Basalt


Basalt vs Anorthosite


Definition

Definition
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or 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
Unknown   
Georgius Agricola   

Etymology
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1   
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

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

Color
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White   
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   
Dull and Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate   
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
Creating Artwork, Curling   
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums   

Types

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

Features
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

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

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.   
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, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene   
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism   
Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
No   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Not Available   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5-6   
6   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Irregular   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Pearly to Subvitreous   
Not Available   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
37.40 N/mm2   
28

Cleavage
Irregular   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.3   

Specific Gravity
2.62-2.82   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Translucent   
Opaque   

Density
2.7-4 g/cm3   
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Not Yet Found   
India, Russia   

Africa
Not Yet Found   
South Africa   

Europe
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic   
Iceland   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada   
Canada, USA   

South America
Bolivia, Colombia   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

Definition >>
<< All

Anorthosite vs Basalt 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 Anorthosite and Basalt Reserves. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or 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. 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 Anorthosite vs Basalt information and Anorthosite vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Anorthosite vs Basalt 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. Anorthosite vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Anorthosite and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Anorthosite vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Anorthosite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Anorthosite and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Anorthosite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Anorthosite and Basalt

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

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks