Basalt

Scoria

Basalt vs Scoria

Basalt

Scoria

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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

Scoria is a dark-colored extrusive igneous rock with abundant round bubble-like cavities

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

Georgius Agricola

Unknown

Etymology

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

From late Middle English (denoting slag from molten metal), from Greek skōria refuse, from skōr dung

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Vesicular

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Black, Brown, Dark Grey to Black, Red

Maintenance

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Glassy and Vesicular

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, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and drainage works

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

As a traction material on snow-covered roads, Creating Artwork, High-temperature insulation, In gas barbecue grills

Types

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

Basaltic Scoria and Andesitic Scoria

Features

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Surfaces are often shiny

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.

Scoria forms when magma containing huge amount of dissolved gas flows from a volcano during an eruption.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

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

Ca, NaCl

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

65-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

37.40 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.3

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.8-3-9999

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³-9999 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania

Europe

Iceland

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Basalt vs Scoria 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 Scoria 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. Scoria is a dark-colored extrusive igneous rock with abundant round bubble-like cavities. 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 Scoria information and Basalt vs Scoria characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Basalt vs Scoria 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 Scoria characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Scoria. Learn more about Basalt vs Scoria in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Scoria include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Scoria, 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 Scoria include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, In landscaping and drainage works.

More about Basalt and Scoria

Here you can know more about Basalt and Scoria. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Scoria consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Scoria includes Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Scoria, 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, Scoria is available in black, brown, dark grey to black, red colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Scoria is Glassy and Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Scoria. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Scoria is 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 Scoria are Basaltic Scoria and Andesitic Scoria. 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 Scoria is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Scoria is 0.84 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 Scoria is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.