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
Diamictite is a sedimentary rock that consists of non-sorted to poorly sorted terrigenous sediment containing particles that range in size from clay to boulders, suspended in a matrix of mudstone or sandstone
Origin
Egypt
Southern Mongolia
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From Greek dia through and meiktós or mixed
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Clastic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Brown, Buff
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Banded
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, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Production of Lime
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Bedded Diamictite and Laminated Diamictite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead, 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
Sculpture
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Figurines
Used
Not Yet 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.
Diamictite is unevenly sorted terrigenous, non-calcareous sedimentary rock which forms due to weathering of mudstone and sandstone.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Not Available
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Available
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal to Uneven
Streak
White to Grey
Light to dark brown
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Not Available
Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Not Available
Toughness
2.3
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
4.3-5.0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.2-2.35 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia
Africa
South Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Iceland
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
New South Wales, New Zealand
Basalt vs Diamictite 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 Diamictite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Diamictite. Learn more about Basalt vs Diamictite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Diamictite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Diamictite, 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 Diamictite include As dimension stone, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone.
More about Basalt and Diamictite
Here you can know more about Basalt and Diamictite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Diamictite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Diamictite includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Diamictite, 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, Diamictite is available in brown, buff colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Diamictite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Diamictite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Diamictite is 2-3. 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 Diamictite are Bedded Diamictite and Laminated Diamictite. 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 Diamictite is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Diamictite is 0.75 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 Diamictite is heat resistant, impact resistant.