Definition
Anthracite is a type of sedimentary rock which is hard and is variety of coal that has high luster
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
Pennsylvania, U.S.
Egypt
Discoverer
Unknown
Georgius Agricola
Etymology
From Greek anthrakites, from anthrax, anthrak meaning coal
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, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
-
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Maintenance
Less
More
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Dull and Soft
Architecture
Interior Uses
-
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing, Whetstones
Industry
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Medical Industry
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Manufacture of Aspirins
-
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts, Monuments
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
Types
Semi-anthracite and Meta-anthracite
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
Formation
Anthracite forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. When plant debris dies and falls into the swamp, the standing water of the swamp protects it from decay.
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
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
-
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
1-1.56
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
Black
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Shiny
-
Compressive Strength
-37.40 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
-
2.3
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.42.8-3
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1.25-2.5 g/cm32.9-3.1 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
India, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Iceland
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
-