Basalt

Shale

Basalt and Shale

Basalt

Shale

Add ⊕

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

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles

History

Origin

Egypt

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 German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Clastic, Splintery

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

Maintenance

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Muddy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, 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

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Types

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

Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale

Features

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

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained 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

Jantar Mantar in 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.

Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

Compound Content

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

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²95.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.3

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.2-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Iceland

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia

All about Basalt and Shale Properties

Know all about Basalt and Shale properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basalt belongs to Igneous Rocks while Shale belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Shale is Clastic, Splintery. Basalt appears Dull and Soft and Shale appears Muddy. The luster of Basalt is while that of Shale is dull. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums and that of Shale are creating artwork, pottery.