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
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
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
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
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Dull and Soft
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
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments
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
Famous Monuments
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Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
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.
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
Types of Metamorphism
-
Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
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Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Specific Gravity
2.0
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
-9999 g/cm3
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
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
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
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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.