Home
Compare Rocks


Basalt vs Ignimbrite


Ignimbrite 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   
Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows   

History
  
  

Origin
Egypt   
New Zealand   

Discoverer
Georgius Agricola   
Patrick Marshall   

Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites   
From Latin ignis fire + imber, imbr- shower of rain, storm cloud + -ite   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   
Aphanitic   

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   
Beige, Black, Brown, Grey, Pink, White   

Maintenance
More   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Dull and Soft   
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   

Types

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   
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

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.   
Ignimbrites are formed from very poorly sorted mixture of volcanic ash or tuff and pumice lapilli, commonly with scattered lithic fragments.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   
Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Available   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6   
4-6   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Uneven   

Streak
White to Grey   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Not Available   
Vitreous to Dull   

Compressive Strength
37.40 N/mm2   
28
243.80 N/mm2   
5

Cleavage
Not Available   
Not Available   

Toughness
2.3   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.8-3   
2.73   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   
1-1.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15
0.20 kJ/Kg K   
25

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India, Russia   
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen   

Africa
South Africa   
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda   

Europe
Iceland   
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
Central Australia, Western Australia   

Definition >>
<< All

Basalt vs Ignimbrite 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 Ignimbrite 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. Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows. 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 Ignimbrite information and Basalt vs Ignimbrite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Basalt vs Ignimbrite 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 Ignimbrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Ignimbrite. Learn more about Basalt vs Ignimbrite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Ignimbrite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Ignimbrite, 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 Ignimbrite include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate.

More about Basalt and Ignimbrite

Here you can know more about Basalt and Ignimbrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Ignimbrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Ignimbrite includes Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Ignimbrite, 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, Ignimbrite is available in beige, black, brown, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Ignimbrite is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Ignimbrite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Ignimbrite is 4-6. 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 Ignimbrite 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 Ignimbrite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Ignimbrite is 0.20 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 Ignimbrite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks