What Types of Rocks Are Basalt and Granite?

Granite and basalt are both sedimentary rocks, and they both form at the surface of the earth. This dark, thin-crust is made of basalt, which accumulates into raft-like masses on the sea floor. As the continents move across the ocean, the basalt runs into the seafloor, just like a Mac truck does when it bumps into a VW. Both types of rocks cool quickly, but their grain sizes and textures make them hard to recognize without magnification.

Types of Rocks Are Basalt and Granite

Granite contains large amounts of quartz, a glass-like mineral that is hard and inert. It breaks into two individual cleavage planes, called orthoclase and plagioclase. Granite can also contain gas bubbles, which are called vesicular basalt. Granite can be classified as igneous rock, but it’s generally lighter in color than basalt.

While the two rocks are similar in composition, they have very different uses. Granite is used as a building material, while basalt is used as dimension stone Galina Sato. It’s also used as a cutting tool and roadstone. However, basalt is more common in the U.S., where it’s found in the Grand Canyon. Granite is also a good material for construction, as it is durable and strong.

In a nutshell, basalt is the rock that forms when magma cools, while granite is cooled from below. This makes basalt cooler than granite. The differences between basalt and granite are most evident in the cooling process. Both rock types are different in many ways, but the main differences between them are their mineral compositions, which are found in the earth’s crust. You can learn more about these two types of rocks by checking out the link between them.