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Diorite vs Basalt


Basalt vs Diorite


Definition

Definition
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene   
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 early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish   
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Phaneritic   
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White   
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
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Shiny   
Dull and Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Curling   
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
Typically speckled black and white.   
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data 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
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.   
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
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon   
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
No   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
6   

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Not Available   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Bluish Black   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Very Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Shiny   
Not Available   

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2   
7
37.40 N/mm2   
28

Cleavage
Not Available   
Not Available   

Toughness
2.1   
2.3   

Specific Gravity
2.8-3   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.8-3 g/cm3   
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Not Yet Found   
India, Russia   

Africa
Egypt   
South Africa   

Europe
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom   
Iceland   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

Definition >>
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Diorite 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 Diorite and Basalt Reserves. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Diorite vs Basalt information and Diorite vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Diorite and Basalt

Here you can know more about Diorite and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diorite and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon and mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diorite vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Diorite is Shiny and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diorite vs Basalt. The hardness of Diorite is 6-7 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Diorite 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 Diorite is bluish black while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Diorite is Not Available 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.Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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