Basalt Granite Definition

Granite is a very hard granular crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz mica and feldspar and is often used as building stone basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of earth 1 2 history 1 2 1 origin.

Basalt granite definition. Basalt extrusive igneous volcanic rock that is low in silica content dark in colour and comparatively rich in iron and magnesium. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of earth. One other difference between basalt and granite pertains to the way these two types of rocks split when putting under pressure. ˈ b æ s ɔː l t ˈ b æ s əl t is a mafic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of lava rich in magnesium and iron exposed at or very near the surface of a terrestrial planet or a moon.

It contains mainly volcanic glass pyroxene and plagioclase feldspar and is fine grained. A dark gray to black dense to fine grained igneous rock that consists of basic plagioclase augite and usually magnetite. While basalt rocks split along columnar planes granite rocks give way along horizontal planes. B ə ˈ s ɔː l t ˈ b eɪ s ɒ l t uk.

See plate tectonics. It has a composition similar to gabbro. Basalt is a dark colored fine grained igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals. The general basalt and granite definition can be stated as.

The part of the earth s crust beneath the oceans consists mainly of basalt whereas continental crust consists mainly of less dense rocks such as granite. 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. Basalt is one of the most common types of rock on earth as well as other planetary bodies in the solar system. On the other hand granite is a very hard granular crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz mica and feldspar and is often used as building stone.

Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock whereas granite is an intrusive ingenuous rock.