Dolomite

Basalt

Dolomite vs Basalt

Dolomite

Basalt

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Definition

Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight

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

Southern Alps, France

Egypt

Discoverer

Dolomieu

Georgius Agricola

Etymology

From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock

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, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

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

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Earthy

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

Glassy or Pearly

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

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

Other Architectural Uses

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, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock

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

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

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

Types

Boninite and Jasperoid

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

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits

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

Present

Absent

Formation

Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.

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

Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO

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, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous and Pearly

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²37.40 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.8-3

0 8.4

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Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India

India, Russia

Africa

Morocco, Namibia

South Africa

Europe

Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland

Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Mexico, USA

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula

Dolomite 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 Dolomite and Basalt Reserves. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. 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 Dolomite vs Basalt information and Dolomite vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Dolomite 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. Dolomite vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dolomite and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Dolomite vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Dolomite 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 Dolomite and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dolomite in construction industry 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, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Dolomite and Basalt

Here you can know more about Dolomite and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dolomite and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides 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 Dolomite vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dolomite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dolomite vs Basalt. The hardness of Dolomite is 3.5-4 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid 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 Dolomite is white while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Dolomite is 0.92 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.Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.