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
Pegmatite rock is a holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is composed of interlocking phaneritic crystals
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
R. J. Hauy
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From Greek pegma, pegmat which means- thing joined together + -ite
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Pegmatitic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping
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
Creating Artwork, Jewelry, Source of corundum, tourmalines, beryls and topaz
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Granite Pegmatite, Gabbro Pegmatite and Diorite Pegmatite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Source of corundum, tourmalines, beryls and topaz
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.
Pegmatite rock is holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is formed by partial melting and dewatering during the process of metamorphism.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Apatite, Beryl, Feldspar, Fluorite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Quartz, Silica, Spodumene, Topaz
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, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, Phosphorus Pentoxide
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Available
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Not Available
Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous
Cleavage
Not Available
Perfect
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.6-2.63
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.6-2.65 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, Iran, Japan, Nepal, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
Africa
South Africa
South Africa
Europe
Iceland
Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada
South America
Brazil
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Basalt vs Pegmatite 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 Pegmatite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Pegmatite. Learn more about Basalt vs Pegmatite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Pegmatite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Pegmatite, 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 Pegmatite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping.
More about Basalt and Pegmatite
Here you can know more about Basalt and Pegmatite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Pegmatite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Pegmatite includes Apatite, Beryl, Feldspar, Fluorite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Quartz, Silica, Spodumene, Topaz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Pegmatite, 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, Pegmatite is available in black, brown, cream, green, grey, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Pegmatite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Pegmatite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Pegmatite is 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 Pegmatite are Granite Pegmatite, Gabbro Pegmatite and Diorite Pegmatite. 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 Pegmatite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Pegmatite 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 Pegmatite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.