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
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Foliated, Glassy
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite
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
Not Applicable
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
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.
Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Available
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Irregular
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Not Available
Pearly to Subvitreous
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Irregular
Toughness
2.3
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.62-2.82
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.7-4 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
Not Yet Found
Africa
South Africa
Not Yet Found
Europe
Iceland
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada
South America
Brazil
Bolivia, Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia
Basalt vs Anorthosite 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 Anorthosite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Anorthosite. Learn more about Basalt vs Anorthosite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Anorthosite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Anorthosite, 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 Anorthosite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate.
More about Basalt and Anorthosite
Here you can know more about Basalt and Anorthosite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Anorthosite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Anorthosite, 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, Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Anorthosite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Anorthosite is 5-6. 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 Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Basalt is white to grey while that of Anorthosite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Anorthosite 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 Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant.