Is Basalt Denser Than Granite

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.

Is basalt denser than granite.

Its principle minerals include pyroxene feldspar and olivine. These impurities make it roughly 10 percent heavier than granite. And if you know your igneous petrology you will see that the more mafic rich in magnesium and iron a rock is the greater its density. The molten minerals would less dense for the same reason hot water is less dense than cold water and hot air is less dense than cold air.

It wants to be there and heat is the key which unlocks the door. Basaltic crust is dark and thin and heavy while granite is light and accumulates. Ocean crust is made of basalt and continental crust is mostly granite 3. When we have to compare granite vs basalt the texture color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock.

Basalt and granite are two types of igneous rocks that we can find on earth. It forms from lava flows which extrude onto the surface and cool. Summary basalt vs granite. Sedimentary rocks and granite which are rich in quartz and feldspar tend to be less dense than volcanic rocks.

Basalt wikipedia wikimedia foundation 13 sept. It is common both on earth and other planetary bodies. Rock density is very sensitive to the minerals that compose a particular rock type. Basalt is an igneous volcanic rock that forms commonly in oceanic crust and parts of continental crust.

Which would be less dense granite or magma that contains the same minerals as granite. Basalt as a mafic rock contains more calcium oxide manganese oxide and iron compounds than granite. As it turns out most of the ocean floor is basalt and most of the continents are granite. Its high iron content gives it magnetic properties and it may show signs of rust when exposed to air.

Granite is an igneous plutonic rock which is. Basalt is denser than granite because basalt is a an oceanic type of rock so it has had more pressure from the ocean making it denser than granite because granite is a continental type of rock.