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Felsite and Basalt


Basalt and Felsite


Definition

Definition
Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition   
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 English feldspar and -ite   
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, Medium Hardness Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous   
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow   
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   
Dull and Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points   
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Surgery   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts, Monuments   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Mirror, Jewelry   
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
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock   
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   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.   
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
Feldspar, Iron Oxides   
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium 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
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact 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, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion   
Not Available   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5-5.5   
6   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Very Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Vitreous   
Not Available   

Compressive Strength
0.15 N/mm2   
33
37.40 N/mm2   
28

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.3   

Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Translucent   
Opaque   

Density
2.6 g/cm3   
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia   
India, Russia   

Africa
Kenya   
South Africa   

Europe
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey   
Iceland   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand   
Not Yet Found   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Felsite and Basalt Properties

Know all about Felsite and Basalt properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Felsite and Basalt belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Felsite is Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous whereas that of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular. Felsite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Basalt appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Felsite is vitreous while that of Basalt is not available. Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Felsite are mirror, jewelry and that of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums.

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