Basalt

Amphibolite

Basalt vs Amphibolite

Basalt

Amphibolite

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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

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

Alexandre Brongniart

Etymology

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

From Amphibole + -ite

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Foliated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings

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, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

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

Hornblendite

Features

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

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

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

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

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.

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

66-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular to Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²90.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.5

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³2.85-3.07 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Russia, Turkey

Africa

South Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Europe

Iceland

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

South Australia, Western Australia

Basalt vs Amphibolite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Basalt and Amphibolite Reserves. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Basalt vs Amphibolite information and Basalt vs Amphibolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Basalt vs Amphibolite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Basalt vs Amphibolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Amphibolite. Learn more about Basalt vs Amphibolite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Amphibolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Basalt in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Amphibolite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone.

More about Basalt and Amphibolite

Here you can know more about Basalt and Amphibolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Amphibolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Amphibolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Amphibolite is Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Amphibolite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Amphibolite is 6-7. The types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite whereas types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Basalt and Amphibolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Amphibolite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.