Basalt and Diabase

Basalt

Diabase

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

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

History

Origin

Egypt

Germany

Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

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

From Greek di + base

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Aphanitic, Granular

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Yes

Wind Resistant

Yes

Acid Resistant

Yes

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

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

Not Available

Features

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

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Used

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Used

Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Pictographs

Used

Not Used

Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

Figurines

Used

Fossils

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.

Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Yes

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Yes

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

Yes

Types of Erosion

Not Available

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Not Available

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²

225.00 N/mm²

Cleavage

Not Available

Toughness

2.3

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.8-3

2.86-2.87

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³

2.7-3.3 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K

Not Available

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

India

Africa

South Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Iceland

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Not Yet Found

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Not Yet Found

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Summary >>

<< Reserves

All about Basalt and Diabase Properties

Know all about Basalt and Diabase properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basalt and Diabase belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular. Basalt appears Dull and Soft and Diabase appears Vesicular. The luster of Basalt and Diabase is not available. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums and that of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.