Definition
A water-soluble mineral sediment resulting from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth
Discoverer
Usiglio
Georgius Agricola
Etymology
From a sediment left after the evaporation
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
Group
Not Applicable
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
Colourless, Green, Grey, Silver, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Dull and Soft
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, 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
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
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments
Commercial Uses
Used in the manufacture of Ceramic Powder, Used in the preparation of Sulfuric Acid and Silicon Diborite
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
Types
Not Available
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Features
Generally rough to touch, Splintery, Veined
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
Formation
Evaporite is water-soluble mineral sediment which forms from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution.
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.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Cancrinite, Gypsum, Kyanite, Magnetite
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
CaMg(CO3)2, CaO, Calcium Sulfate, KCl, MgO, NaCl
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
Not Available
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Not Available
Cleavage
Perfect
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
2.3
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.99
2.8-3
Transparency
Translucent
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Not Available
India, Russia
Africa
Not Available
South Africa
Europe
United Kingdom
Iceland
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Colombia, Paraguay
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
Not Yet Found
Evaporite 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. Evaporite vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Evaporite and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Evaporite vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Evaporite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Evaporite and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Evaporite 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 and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.
More about Evaporite and Basalt
Here you can know more about Evaporite and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Evaporite and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Evaporite includes Calcite, Cancrinite, Gypsum, Kyanite, Magnetite 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 Evaporite vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Evaporite is available in colourless, green, grey, silver, white colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Evaporite is Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Evaporite vs Basalt. The hardness of Evaporite is 2-3 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Evaporite 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 Evaporite is white while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Evaporite 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.Evaporite is heat resistant, pressure resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.