What does basalt mean in science

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Save Word. Definition of basalt. Examples of basalt in a Sentence Recent Examples on the Web How filtration through basalt affects the spirits is unclear. First Known Use of basalt , in the meaning defined above. Learn More About basalt. Time Traveler for basalt The first known use of basalt was in See more words from the same year.

Style: MLA. Today it consists of five overlapping volcanoes. Kilauea is the most active of these volcanoes. It has been in amost continuous eruption since January, Basalt flows from Kilauea have extruded over one cubic mile of lava, which currently covers about 48 square miles of land.

These flows have travelled over seven miles to reach the ocean, covering highways, homes and entire subdivisions that were in their path. Columbia River Flood Basalts: The Columbia River Flood Basalts are an extensive sequence of stacked lava flows that reach a cumulative thickness of up to feet. The outcrops in the foreground and in the distance of this photo are all made up of layered basalt flows. Although basalt is typically a dark black rock, it often weathers to a yellow-brown color similar to the rocks shown here.

Public domain image by Williamborg. The area shown is what has not yet been eroded away - the original extent of these basalt flows was much greater. Over individual flows have been identified, and several hundred meters of basalt underlies much of the area shown in the map above.

The third basalt-forming environment is a continental environment where a mantle plume or hotspot delivers enormous amounts of basaltic lava through the continental crust and up to Earth's surface. These eruptions can be from either vents or fissures. They have produced the largest basalt flows on the continents. The eruptions can occur repeatedly over millions of years, producing layer after layer of basalt stacked in a vertical sequence see outcrop photo.

The word "traps" is derived from the Swedish word for "stairs," which describes the outcrop profile of these layered basalt deposits, as shown in the outcrop photo. The best way to learn about rocks is to have specimens available for testing and examination. The Roman theatre: left in Bosra, Syria. The dark building stone is basalt.

Basalt paving stones: right on a city street in Rome, Italy. Basalt pavers were often used in areas close to volcanoes. Basalt is used for a wide variety of purposes. It is most commonly crushed for use as an aggregate in construction projects.

Crushed basalt is used for road base, concrete aggregate, asphalt pavement aggregate, railroad ballast, filter stone in drain fields, and may other purposes. Basalt is also cut into dimension stone. Thin slabs of basalt are cut and sometimes polished for use as floor tiles, building veneer, monuments, and other stone objects.

Article by: Hobart M. Find Other Topics on Geology. Maps Volcanoes World Maps. Rock, Mineral and Fossil Collections. Hardness Picks.

Flint, Chert, and Jasper. Tumbled Stones. Words related to basalt magma , slag , ashes , obsidian , scoria , coulee. How to use basalt in a sentence In the valleys which we passed through, there was a large quantity of basalt ic rock and most beautifully crystallized quartz. Mount Rainier Various. Cruisings in the Cascades George O. Derived forms of basalt basaltic , adjective. A dark, fine-grained, igneous rock consisting mostly of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene, and sometimes olivine.

Basalt makes up most of the ocean floor and is the most common type of lava.