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
Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From the Lherz Massif, an alpine peridotite complex, at Étang de Lers, near Massat in the French Pyrenees; Lherz is the archaic spelling of this location
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Grenue
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Pink, Purple
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Landscaping, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
As armour rock for sea walls, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Used in aquariums
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Garnet Lherzolite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead
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.
Lherzolite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Available
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Not Available
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Not Available
Perfect
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
Russia, South Korea
Africa
South Africa
Western Africa
Europe
Iceland
United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
Central Australia, Western Australia
Basalt vs Lherzolite 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 Lherzolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Lherzolite. Learn more about Basalt vs Lherzolite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Lherzolite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Lherzolite, 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 Lherzolite include Landscaping, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..
More about Basalt and Lherzolite
Here you can know more about Basalt and Lherzolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Lherzolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Lherzolite includes Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Lherzolite, 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, Lherzolite is available in black, dark greenish - grey, green, pink, purple colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Lherzolite is Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Lherzolite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Lherzolite is 6.5. 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 Lherzolite are Garnet Lherzolite. 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 Lherzolite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Lherzolite is 0.95 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 Lherzolite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.