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
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Clastic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Dull
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing, Whetstones
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
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
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Not Available
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined
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
Data Not Available
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.
Graywacke rock is a type of sedimentary rock, which is also known as immature sandstone, which is indurated, dark grey and consisting of poorly sorted angular to sub-angular, sand-sized grains.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Available
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Angular and Fine
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Not Available
Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Perfect
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.2-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.6-2.61 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
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
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
New South Wales, New Zealand
Basalt vs Greywacke 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 Greywacke characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Greywacke. Learn more about Basalt vs Greywacke in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Greywacke include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Greywacke, 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 Greywacke include Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.
More about Basalt and Greywacke
Here you can know more about Basalt and Greywacke. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Greywacke consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Greywacke includes Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Greywacke, 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, Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Greywacke is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Greywacke. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Greywacke 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 Greywacke are Not Available. 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 Greywacke is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Greywacke is Not Available. 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 Greywacke is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.