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Basalt vs Litchfieldite


Litchfieldite 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  
Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite  

History
  
  

Origin
Egypt  
USA  

Discoverer
Georgius Agricola  
Bayley  

Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites  
From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
Plutonic  

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

Texture

Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular  
Granular  

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey  
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Dull and Soft  
Banded and Foilated  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

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

Types

Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite  
Borolanite and Litchfieldite  

Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock  
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, 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  
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.  
Litchfieldite 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.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene  
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6  
5.5-6  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal to Uneven  

Streak
White to Grey  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
-  
Greasy to Dull  

Compressive Strength
37.40 N/mm2  
99+
150.00 N/mm2  
22

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
2.3  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3  
2.6  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent to Opaque  

Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3  
2.6 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.79 kJ/Kg K  
17

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India, Russia  
-  

Africa
South Africa  
South Africa  

Europe
Iceland  
Finland, Norway, Portugal  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada  

South America
Brazil  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
-  

Definition >>
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Basalt vs Litchfieldite 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 Litchfieldite 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. Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite. 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 Litchfieldite information and Basalt vs Litchfieldite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Basalt vs Litchfieldite 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 Litchfieldite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Litchfieldite. Learn more about Basalt vs Litchfieldite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Litchfieldite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Litchfieldite, 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 Litchfieldite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.

More about Basalt and Litchfieldite

Here you can know more about Basalt and Litchfieldite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Litchfieldite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Litchfieldite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Litchfieldite, 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, Litchfieldite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Litchfieldite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Litchfieldite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Litchfieldite is 5.5-6. 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 Litchfieldite are Borolanite and Litchfieldite. 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 Litchfieldite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Litchfieldite is 0.79 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 Litchfieldite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.

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