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Basalt (UK: / ˈ b æ s ɒ l t,-ɔː l t,-əl t /; [1] [2] US: / b ə ˈ s ɔː l t, ˈ b eɪ s ɔː l t /) [3] is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon.
Examples of aphanitic igneous rock include basalt, andesite, and rhyolite. Glassy or vitreous textures occur during some volcanic eruptions when the lava is quenched so rapidly that crystallization cannot occur. The result is a natural amorphous glass with few or no crystals. Examples include obsidian.
Extrusive igneous rock is made from lava released by volcanoes Sample of basalt (an extrusive igneous rock), found in Massachusetts. Extrusive igneous rock, also known as volcanic rock, is formed by the cooling of molten magma on the earth's surface. The magma, which is brought to the surface through fissures or volcanic eruptions, rapidly ...
Columnar jointing is a geological structure where sets of intersecting closely spaced fractures, referred to as joints, result in the formation of a regular array of polygonal prisms (basalt prisms), or columns. Columnar jointing occurs in many types of igneous rocks and forms as the rock cools and contracts.
Flood basalts are the most voluminous of all extrusive igneous rocks, [8] forming enormous deposits of basaltic rock [9] [10] found throughout the geologic record. [9] [11] They are a highly distinctive form of intraplate volcanism, [12] set apart from all other forms of volcanism by the huge volumes of lava erupted in geologically short time ...
Vesicular texture is a volcanic rock texture characterized by a rock being pitted with many cavities (known as vesicles) at its surface and inside. [1] This texture is common in aphanitic, or glassy, igneous rocks that have come to the surface of the Earth, a process known as extrusion. As magma rises to the surface the pressure on it decreases ...
Trap rock, also known as either trapp or trap, is any dark-colored, fine-grained, non-granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock. Types of trap rock include basalt, peridotite, diabase, and gabbro. [1] Trap is also used to refer to flood (plateau) basalts, such as the Deccan Traps and Siberian Traps. [2]
Trachyte – Extrusive igneous rock – A silica-undersaturated volcanic rock; essentially a feldspathoid-bearing rhyolite; Troctolite – Igneous rock – A plutonic ultramafic rock containing olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase; Trondhjemite – Light-colored intrusive igneous rock – A form of tonalite where plagioclase-group feldspar is ...