Basalt

Gritstone

Basalt and Gritstone

Basalt

Gritstone

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1 Definition

1.1 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

Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Egypt

Pennines, England

1.2.2 Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

J.J. Ferber

1.3 Etymology

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

From Grit + Stone

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Volcanic

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Earthy

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Dull and Soft

Layered and Foliated

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

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

Construction Aggregate, Roadstone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Not Available

4.2 Features

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

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

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

Present

5 Formation

5.1 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.

Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

5.2.2 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, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Not Available

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

66-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White to Grey

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Not Available

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

2.3

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.8-32.250

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³2.2 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

India, Russia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

7.1.2 Africa

South Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Iceland

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Not Yet Found

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Basalt and Gritstone Properties

Know all about Basalt and Gritstone properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basalt belongs to Igneous Rocks while Gritstone belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Gritstone is Earthy. Basalt appears Dull and Soft and Gritstone appears Layered and Foliated. The luster of Basalt is not available while that of Gritstone is dull. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums and that of Gritstone are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones.