Basalt

Boninite

Basalt vs Boninite

Basalt

Boninite

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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

Boninite is a mafic extrusive rock which is high in magnesium and silica content, formed in fore-arc environments, typically during the early stages of subduction

History

Origin

Egypt

Japan

Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

Unknown

Etymology

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

From its occurrence in the Izu-Bonin arc south of Japan

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

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

Basalt

Features

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, High Mg content, Is one of the oldest 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

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.

Boninite is a type of Igneous rock which is formed through the cooling and solidification of lava or existing rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite

Compound Content

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

Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.3

1.1

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.5-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³-9999 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

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Europe

Iceland

England, Finland, United Kingdom

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Brazil

Colombia, Uruguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Basalt vs Boninite 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 Boninite 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. Boninite is a mafic extrusive rock which is high in magnesium and silica content, formed in fore-arc environments, typically during the early stages of subduction. 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 Boninite information and Basalt vs Boninite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Basalt vs Boninite 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 Boninite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Boninite. Learn more about Basalt vs Boninite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Boninite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Boninite, 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 Boninite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Basalt and Boninite

Here you can know more about Basalt and Boninite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Boninite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Boninite includes Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Boninite, 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, Boninite is available in bluish - grey, brown, green, grey colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Boninite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Boninite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Boninite is 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 Boninite are Basalt. 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 Boninite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Boninite 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 Boninite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.