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
Rhomb-porphyry is a porphyritic igneous rock with abundant wedge or lens shaped anorthoclase or feldspar phenocrysts
Discoverer
Georgius Agricola
Unknown
Etymology
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
From Latin term that means purple
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Rough
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Metallurgical Flux, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Igneous rock
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
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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.
Rhomb-porphyry 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
Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
CaO, Cl, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
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Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
-
Subvitreous to Dull
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Basalt vs Rhomb Porphyry 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 Rhomb Porphyry characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Rhomb Porphyry. Learn more about Basalt vs Rhomb Porphyry in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Rhomb Porphyry include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Rhomb Porphyry, 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 Rhomb Porphyry include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.
More about Basalt and Rhomb Porphyry
Here you can know more about Basalt and Rhomb Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Rhomb Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Rhomb Porphyry includes Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Rhomb Porphyry, 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, Rhomb Porphyry is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Rhomb Porphyry is Rough. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Rhomb Porphyry. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Rhomb Porphyry 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 Rhomb Porphyry are Igneous rock. 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 Rhomb Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhomb Porphyry 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 Rhomb Porphyry is heat resistant, pressure resistant.