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
Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From the Lherz Massif, an alpine peridotite complex, at Étang de Lers, near Massat in the French Pyrenees; Lherz is the archaic spelling of this location
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Grenue
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Pink, Purple
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Landscaping, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
As armour rock for sea walls, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Used in aquariums
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Garnet Lherzolite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
Not Applicable
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
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.
Lherzolite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Available
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Not Available
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Not Available
Perfect
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
Russia, South Korea
Africa
South Africa
Western Africa
Europe
Iceland
United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
Central Australia, Western Australia
All about Basalt and Lherzolite Properties
Know all about Basalt and Lherzolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basalt and Lherzolite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Lherzolite is Grenue. Basalt appears Dull and Soft and Lherzolite appears Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated. The luster of Basalt is not available while that of Lherzolite is subvitreous to dull. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Lherzolite is available in black, dark greenish - grey, green, pink, purple colors. The commercial uses of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums and that of Lherzolite are as armour rock for sea walls, source of magnesia (mgo), used in aquariums.