What is a basaltic flow?

What is a basaltic flow?

THE WORD basalt is said to have an Ethiopian origin, meaning “black stone.” Basalt is a dark gray to black, dense to finely grained igneous rock that is the result of lava eruptions. Basalt flows are noneruptive, voluminous, and characterized by relatively low viscosity. …

How are basalt flows formed?

Basalt in the lava flows has formed columnar jointing. The thick, layered lava flows of the CRBG erupted as flood basalts, which originate as some of the most highly effusive eruptions in the world. The basalt columns formed when thick lava flows cooled after emplacement.

What are the two types of basalt flow?

Lavas, particularly basaltic ones, come in two primary types: pahoehoe (pronounced ‘paw-hoey-hoey”) and aa (pronounced “ah-ah”). Both names, like a number of volcanological terms, are of Hawaiian origin. A third type, pillow lava, forms during submarine eruptions.

Where are basaltic lava flows?

Basaltic lava flows erupt primarily from shield volcanoes, fissure systems, scoria cones, and spatter cones.

Is basaltic a lava flow?

Because of basalt’s low silica content, it has a low viscosity (resistance to flow). Therefore, basaltic lava can flow quickly and easily move >20 km from a vent. The low viscosity typically allows volcanic gases to escape without generating enormous eruption columns.

How is basalt used?

Basalt is used in construction (e.g. as building blocks or in the groundwork), making cobblestones (from columnar basalt) and in making statues. Heating and extruding basalt yields stone wool, which has potential to be an excellent thermal insulator.

What type of rocks are formed from basaltic lava flows?

They are the most widespread of all the igneous rocks. Most basalts are volcanic in origin and were formed by the rapid cooling and hardening of the lava flows. Some basalts are intrusive having cooled inside the Earth’s interior. This is a vertical columnar basalt formation.

What are the uses of basalt?

What are three types of basalt?

Basalt has several textural varieties such as glassy, massive, porphyritic, vesicular, scoriaceous. In the Keweenaw we can subdivide textures into three types, following Huber’s example: Porphyrite, Trap and Ophite, applies ideally to Isle Royale, but works for the PLV on the Keweenaw too.

What does basaltic magma do?

This causes the melting temperature of the mantle to decrease, causing the mantle to begin partially melting due to the heat. Basaltic magma with a high water content is the result. If this type of basaltic magma melts with continental crust that has a high density of dioxide silicon, andesitic magma will form.

Is basalt stronger than granite?

Basalt weathers faster than granite because it is not as hard and it’s easier for outside substances to impact and manipulate its structure.

What is the meaning of the word basaltic?

Define basaltic. basaltic synonyms, basaltic pronunciation, basaltic translation, English dictionary definition of basaltic. n. 1. A hard, dense, dark igneous rock composed chiefly of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine, and often having a glassy appearance.

What are the two types of basaltic lava flows?

Basaltic lava flows erupt primarily from shield volcanoes, fissure systems, scoria cones, and spatter cones. These fluid lava flows can be subdivided into two end-member structural types, based primarily on the nature of lava flow surfaces: Pahoehoe Lava– Surfaces are smooth, billowy, or ropy.

What is a floatingpillow basal?

Pillow basalts are the basaltic lava morphology formed when lava erupts underwater. They form when the exterior of the molten rock cools immediately when it comes in contact with the cold water.

What are the characteristics of basalt?

Basalt may also contain volcanic glass. Basalt may contain phenocrysts (larger crystals within fine-grained groundmass) and vesicules (holes that were filled by volcanic gases). Black color is given to basalt by pyroxene and magnetite.