Basalt and Chert Types and Facts

Basalt

Chert

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Types

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

Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

Features

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

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

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

Types of Basalt and Chert

Some rocks according to their use or texture are classified into different types. Know more about Basalt Texture and Chert Texture. Types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite whereas the types of Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter.During historic times, some rocks depending on their hardness were used to create Pictographs and Petroglyphs. Rocks which are hard were generally not used. Pictographs are paintings or drawings that have been placed or created on the surface of rock. Basalt and Chert were for creating pictographs. Petroglyph is an image which is carved into a rock. These are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving or abrading, as a form of rock art. Basalt and Chert were for creating petroglyphs.