Carbonatite

Basalt

Carbonatite and Basalt

Carbonatite

Basalt

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Definition

Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals

Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth

History

Origin

Tanzania

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Georgius Agricola

Etymology

From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals

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

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Granular, Poikiloblastic

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

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

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

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux

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

Types

Carbonatite

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

Features

Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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

Formation

Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

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Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

75.00 N/mm²37.40 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.8-3

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.84-2.86 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.51 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

India, Russia

Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

South Africa

Europe

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Iceland

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

All about Carbonatite and Basalt Properties

Know all about Carbonatite and Basalt properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Carbonatite and Basalt belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Carbonatite is Granular, Poikiloblastic whereas that of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular. Carbonatite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Basalt appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Carbonatite is subvitreous to dull while that of Basalt is . Carbonatite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Carbonatite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux and that of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums.