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
  
Websterite is ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that consists of roughly equal proportions of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. It is a special type of pyroxenite.
  
History
  
  
Origin
Egypt
  
Webster, North Carolina
  
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
  
From the town of Webster located in North Carolina
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Igneous Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Volcanic
  
Plutonic
  
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
  
Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic
  
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
  
Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey
  
Maintenance
More
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Acid Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Appearance
Dull and Soft
  
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, 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
  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
  
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, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, 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
  
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
  
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
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
  
Data Not Available
  
Pictographs
Used
  
Not Used
  
Petroglyphs
Used
  
Not Used
  
Figurines
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
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.
  
Websterite can be formed as cumulates in ultramafic intrusions by accumulation of pyroxene crystals at the base of the lava chamber.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
  
Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene
  
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
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
  
Burial Metamorphism, Impact 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, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
6
  
7
  
Grain Size
Fine Grained
  
Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Uneven
  
Streak
White to Grey
  
White, Greenish White or Grey
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Not Available
  
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Compressive Strength
37.40 N/mm
2
  
28
Not Available
  
Cleavage
Not Available
  
Irregular
  
Toughness
2.3
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
  
3.2-3.5
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
  
3.1-3.6 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K
  
15
Not Available
  
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
India, Russia
  
India, Russia
  
Africa
South Africa
  
South Africa
  
Europe
Iceland
  
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Greenland
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, USA
  
Canada, USA
  
South America
Brazil
  
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
Not Yet Found
  
New Zealand, Queensland
  
All about Basalt and Websterite Properties
Know all about Basalt and Websterite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basalt and Websterite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Websterite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic. Basalt appears Dull and Soft and Websterite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Basalt is not available while that of Websterite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Websterite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums and that of Websterite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.