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Ignimbrite and Basalt


Basalt and Ignimbrite


Definition

Definition
Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows   
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
Patrick Marshall   
Georgius Agricola   

Etymology
From Latin ignis fire + imber, imbr- shower of rain, storm cloud + -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
Aphanitic   
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   

Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Grey, Pink, White   
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   

Maintenance
More   
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
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated   
Dull and Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate   
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Monuments   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   
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
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust   
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Ignimbrites are formed from very poorly sorted mixture of volcanic ash or tuff and pumice lapilli, commonly with scattered lithic fragments.   
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, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
Ca, NaCl   
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, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
No   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion   
Not Available   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-6   
6   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Uneven   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Vitreous to Dull   
Not Available   

Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2   
5
37.40 N/mm2   
28

Cleavage
Not Available   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.3   

Specific Gravity
2.73   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
1-1.8 g/cm3   
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K   
25
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen   
India, Russia   

Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda   
South Africa   

Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom   
Iceland   

Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Ignimbrite and Basalt Properties

Know all about Ignimbrite and Basalt properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Ignimbrite and Basalt belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Ignimbrite is Aphanitic whereas that of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular. Ignimbrite appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Basalt appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Ignimbrite is vitreous to dull while that of Basalt is not available. Ignimbrite is available in beige, black, brown, grey, pink, white colors whereas Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Ignimbrite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork and that of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums.

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