Basalt

Banded iron formation

Basalt and Banded iron formation

Basalt

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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

Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age

History

Origin

Egypt

Western Australia, Minnesota

Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Etymology

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

From its formation process

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Banded, Trellis

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Red, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Paving Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums

As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Types

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

Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite

Features

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Is one of the oldest 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

Present

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.

The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Fe, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

65.5-6

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Earthy

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²220.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

2.3

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.8-35.0-5.3

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³-9999 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K3.20 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

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Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa

South Africa

Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Iceland

Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

All about Basalt and Banded iron formation Properties

Know all about Basalt and Banded iron formation properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basalt belongs to Igneous Rocks while Banded iron formation belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Banded iron formation is Banded, Trellis. Basalt appears Dull and Soft and Banded iron formation appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Basalt is while that of Banded iron formation is earthy. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. The commercial uses of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums and that of Banded iron formation are as a touchstone, cemetery markers, creating artwork.