What Is The Difference Between Granite And Basalt Rock

Basalt igneous rocks.

What is the difference between granite and basalt rock. One other difference between basalt and granite pertains to the way these two types of rocks split when putting under pressure. Though some rocks look identical they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Granite is an intrusive rock with few contaminants while basalt is an extrusive rock with many contaminants. Earth contains three kinds of rocks namely igneous rocks sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks basalt and granite are two types of igneous rocks.

2011 8 14 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. 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. While basalt rocks split along columnar planes granite rocks give way along horizontal planes. 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.

Basalt is clearly the most common volcanic rock on earth and basaltic rocks including gabbro diabase and their metamorphosed equivalents are the most common rocks in the crust 2 basalt is also common on the moon and other rocky planets of the solar system. Differences between basalt and granite. Basalt is volcanic or extrusive forming at the surface while granite is plutonic or intrusive forming beneath the surface. Although there are some similarities between basalt and granite there are also significant differences between these two rock types.

Characteristics of rocks include texture appearance color fracture streak hardness etc. Basalt and granite actually have quite a bit in common. Basalt vs andesite characteristics. Basalt is basic and contains a substantial amount of olivine whereas granite is.

Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock whereas granite is an intrusive ingenuous rock. 1 definition 1 1 definition basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of earth 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 the foundation of oceanic crust granite is an intrusive igneous rock made from visible mineral crystals a result of cooling over a longer period of time under the surface of the. Granite is lighter in color than basalt.

Granite is an intrusive rock that is formed when magma cools inside the crust. Basalt is mafic while granite is felsic. The color of the rocks is dependent on the mineral composition of the rock.