Basalt

Obsidian

Basalt vs Obsidian

Basalt

Obsidian

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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

Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth

History

Origin

Egypt

Ethiopia

Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

Obsius

Etymology

From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites

From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Glassy

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Jewellery

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

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

Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Features

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

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

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.

When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

65-5.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²0.15 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.6-2.7

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Kenya

Europe

Iceland

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

Basalt vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian 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. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian information and Basalt vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Basalt vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Basalt vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Obsidian, 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 Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Basalt and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Basalt and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Obsidian. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. 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 Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. 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 Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian is 0.92 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 Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.