Basalt Granite Rock
Basalt is an extrusive or intrusive rock that makes up most of the world s oceanic crust.
Basalt granite rock. Basalt pavers 2 basalt slabs flamed basalt tile 3 4 thermal granite steps risers hexagon basalt pavers honed basalt tile 1 2 custom stoneworks stone fountains. Basalt and granite actually have quite a bit in common. The key difference between basalt and granite is that basalt is mostly occurring on ocean floors while granite is in the crust of the earth in all continents. Tholeiitic basalt is relatively rich in silica and poor in.
Tholeiites vs alkali basalts. Basalt extrusive igneous volcanic rock that is low in silica content dark in color and comparatively rich in iron and magnesium. Basalt is an igneous rock that contains more than 45 and less than 52 of sio2 and less than five percent of total alkalies k2o na2o 3. Basalt is a dark colored fine grained igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals.
Basalts may be broadly classified on a chemical and petrographic basis into two main groups. Granite is an igneous plutonic rock which is. Both are igneous rocks which means that they cooled from a magma the earth gets very hot just below the surface and there is lots of liquid rock. Its principle minerals include pyroxene feldspar and olivine.
Granite is a light colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It is defined in the tas diagram shown above. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below earth s surface. Basalt is fine grained so the individual minerals are not visible but they include pyroxene plagioclase feldspar and olivine these minerals are visible in the coarse grained plutonic version of basalt called gabbro.
It is common both on earth and other planetary bodies. All rocks of igneous origin consist of magma or molten earth that finds its way up to. Learn more about basalt in this article. The tholeiitic and the alkali basalts.
Earth contains three kinds of rocks namely igneous rocks sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks basalt and granite are two types of igneous rocks. Basalt is an igneous volcanic rock that forms commonly in oceanic crust and parts of continental crust. Types of basalt basalt types. Basalt has a strict chemical definition.
It most commonly forms as an extrusive rock such as a lava flow but can also form in small intrusive bodies such as an igneous dike or a thin sill it has a composition similar to gabbro the difference between basalt and gabbro is that basalt is a fine grained rock while. Excluding the rocks between my ears i d have to say that basalt and granite have the honor of being the most important rocks in the crust. Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica amphiboles and other minerals this mineral composition usually gives granite a red pink gray or white color with dark mineral.