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Basalt vs Diamictite


Diamictite vs Basalt


Definition

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  

History
  
  

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  

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
-  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular  
Clastic  

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey  
Brown, Buff  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Dull and Soft  
Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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  

Industry
  
  

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
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums  
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Production of Lime  

Types

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
-  
-  

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  
Present  

Formation

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.  

Composition
  
  

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  
-  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6  
2-3  

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
-  
Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
37.40 N/mm2  
99+
-  

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
2.3  
-  

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  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.75 kJ/Kg K  
20

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant  

Reserves

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
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Brazil, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
New South Wales, New Zealand  

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Basalt vs Diamictite 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 Diamictite 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. 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. 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 Diamictite information and Basalt vs Diamictite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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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.

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