Dunite

Basalt

Dunite vs Basalt

Dunite

Basalt

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Definition

Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine

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

New Zealand

Egypt

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Hochstetter

Georgius Agricola

Etymology

From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1

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

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and 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, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

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

Types

Dunite

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

Features

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, 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

Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.

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

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

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, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

107.55 N/mm²37.40 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

2.3

Specific Gravity

3-3.012.8-3

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.84-2.85 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.25 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, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

India, Russia

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

South Africa

Europe

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Dunite 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 Dunite and Basalt Reserves. Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine. 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 Dunite vs Basalt information and Dunite vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Dunite 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. Dunite vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dunite and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Dunite vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Dunite 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 Dunite and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dunite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Dunite and Basalt

Here you can know more about Dunite and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dunite and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dunite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene 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 Dunite vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Dunite is Rough and Shiny and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dunite vs Basalt. The hardness of Dunite is 3.5-4 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Dunite are Dunite 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 Dunite is white while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Dunite is 1.25 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.Dunite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.