Definition
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth
Adamellite is a coarse-grained porphyritic igneous rock, a variety of Monzogranite and dominated by phenocrysts of orthoclase in a granular groundmass of perthite, plagioclase and quartz
History
Origin
Egypt
Italy
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From German adamellit and from Monte Adamello, a mountain in Italy, its locality
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
Plutonic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Porphyritic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Maintenance
More
More
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Veined or Pebbled
Architecture
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Granite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest 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
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.
Adamellite is a type of Igneous rock which is formed through the cooling and solidification of lava or magma and is a variety of Monzogranite.
Composition
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Orthoclase, Perthite, Plagioclase, Quartz, Titanite, Zircon
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
66-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
-
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
-
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
Compressive Strength
37.40 N/mm2175.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
2.3
-
Specific Gravity
2.8-32.6-2.7
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm32.6-2.8 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
South Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Iceland
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
-