Gossan

Basalt

Gossan vs Basalt

Gossan

Basalt

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Definition

Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.

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

Indonesia

Egypt

Discoverer

Cornish Gossen

Georgius Agricola

Etymology

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit

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

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Rough, Sandy

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Color

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Banded

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

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

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone

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

Types

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan

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

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates

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

Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.

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

Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-56

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Compressive Strength

-37.40 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.02.8-3

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.24 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea

India, Russia

Africa

Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

South Africa

Europe

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom

Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia

Gossan 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 Gossan and Basalt Reserves. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. 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 Gossan vs Basalt information and Gossan vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Gossan and Basalt

Here you can know more about Gossan and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon and mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Basalt. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan 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 Gossan and Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 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.Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.