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Basalt and Tachylite


Tachylite and Basalt


Definition

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   
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt   

History
  
  

Origin
Egypt   
Iceland   

Discoverer
Georgius Agricola   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites   
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   
Vitreous   

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   
Black, Dark Brown   

Maintenance
More   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Appearance
Dull and Soft   
Glassy   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums   
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

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   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, NA   

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   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

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.   
Tachylite 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.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   
Feldspar, Olivine   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Available   
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6   
5.5   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White to Grey   
Vermilion   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Not Available   
Resinous   

Compressive Strength
37.40 N/mm2   
28
206.00 N/mm2   
8

Cleavage
Not Available   
Not Available   

Toughness
2.3   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.8-3   
2.4   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   
3.058 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15
0.56 kJ/Kg K   
22

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India, Russia   
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea   

Africa
South Africa   
East Africa   

Europe
Iceland   
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Hawaii Islands   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
USA   

South America
Brazil   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
Victoria   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Basalt and Tachylite Properties

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

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