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Chalk vs Basalt


Basalt vs Chalk


Definition

Definition
Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers  
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
Unknown  
Egypt  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Georgius Agricola  

Etymology
From old English cealc chalk, lime, plaster; pebble, from Greek khalix small pebble, in English transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone  
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Volcanic  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Clastic or Non-Clastic  
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular  

Color
Grey, White, Yellow  
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey  

Maintenance
Less  
More  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Soft  
Dull and Soft  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration  
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings  

Other Architectural Uses
Powder  
Curbing, Whetstones  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium  
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
Not Available  
Not Available  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Monuments  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Paper Industry, Production of Lime, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Whiting, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums  

Types

Types
Not Available  
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite  

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock  
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used  
Used  

Famous Monuments
Not Available  
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India  

Sculpture
Used  
Used  

Famous Sculptures
Not Available  
Not Available  

Pictographs
Used  
Used  

Petroglyphs
Used  
Used  

Figurines
Used  
Used  

Fossils
Present  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Chalk is formed from lime mud, which accumulates on the sea floor which is then transformed into rock by geological processes.  
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
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand  
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable  
Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  
Biological Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  
Not Available  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1  
6  

Grain Size
Very fine-grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Not Available  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White to Grey  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Not Available  

Compressive Strength
Not Available  
37.40 N/mm2  
28

Cleavage
Not Available  
Not Available  

Toughness
1  
2.3  

Specific Gravity
2.3-2.4  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.49-2.50 g/cm3  
2.9-3.1 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.90 kJ/Kg K  
12
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam  
India, Russia  

Africa
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe  
South Africa  

Europe
England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom  
Iceland  

Others
Not Available  
Not Available  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Colombia  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula  
Not Available  

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Chalk vs Basalt 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 Chalk and Basalt Reserves. Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth. 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 Chalk vs Basalt information and Chalk vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Chalk vs Basalt 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. Chalk vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Chalk and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Chalk vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Chalk include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Chalk and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Chalk in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Chalk and Basalt

Here you can know more about Chalk and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Chalk and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Chalk includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand and mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Chalk vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Chalk is available in grey, white, yellow colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Chalk is Soft and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Chalk vs Basalt. The hardness of Chalk is 1 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Chalk are Not Available whereas types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Chalk is white while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Chalk is 0.90 kJ/Kg K and that of Basalt 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.Chalk is heat resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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