Is Basalt Denser Than Granite

It is common both on earth and other planetary bodies.

Is basalt denser than granite.

Which would be less dense granite or magma that contains the same minerals as granite. 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. Ocean crust is made of basalt and continental crust is mostly granite 3. 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.

Basalt wikipedia wikimedia foundation 13 sept. 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 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. Sedimentary rocks and granite which are rich in quartz and feldspar tend to be less dense than volcanic rocks.

It forms from lava flows which extrude onto the surface and cool. Basaltic crust is dark and thin and heavy while granite is light and accumulates. The trick is to heat the basalt back up again so it can melt and give the iron another shot at the core. It wants to be there and heat is the key which unlocks the door.

Granite is an igneous plutonic rock which is. As it turns out most of the ocean floor is basalt and most of the continents are granite. Summary basalt vs granite. 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.

Basalt as a mafic rock contains more calcium oxide manganese oxide and iron compounds than granite. Basalt and granite are two types of igneous rocks that we can find on earth. Rock density is very sensitive to the minerals that compose a particular rock type. Granite is available in black grey orange pink white colors whereas basalt is available in black brown light to dark grey.

These impurities make it roughly 10 percent heavier than granite. Its principle minerals include pyroxene feldspar and olivine.