Description
BASALT SPECIMEN
This is the raw basalt specimen. Dimensions: 3.1 x 2.6 x 2″ (8 x 6.6 x 5cm). Weight – 7.2oz (205 grams). Origin: Russia, Transbaikalia.
Some information about basalt:
Basalt is a mafic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of lava rich in magnesium and iron exposed at or very near the surface of a terrestrial planet or a moon. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt.
Molten basalt lava has a low viscosity due to its relatively low silica content (between 45% and 52%), resulting in rapidly moving lava flows that can spread over great areas before cooling and solidifying. Basaltic magmas thought to have their origin in the Earth’s upper mantle. The chemistry of basalts thus provides clues to conditions deep in the Earth’s interior.
Basalt is also an important rock type on other planetary bodies in the Solar System. For example, the lunar maria are plains of flood basaltic lava flows. Basalt is a common rock on the surface of Mars (More information about basalt).
Here you will find other basalt specimens >>>
