The basalt rock is a volcanic origin that appeared in the form of lavas. It is widespread, and its location is at the bottom of the ocean. Basalt contains silica, magnesium and iron.

The origin of basalt includes three main types: underwater ridges of the oceans, erupting streams, and volcanoes, which are located on plate hotspots (tectonic).

The name of the mineral comes from the word "basal" (Ethiopia), which in translation is interpreted as red-hot or hot. And this is understandable, given where it is mined.

Field and production

As a rule, basalts are common among most volcanic rocks. If we consider the territory of Russia, then here the mineral is found in Kamchatka, the Khabarovsk Territory, Altai and Transbaikalia.

The largest locations are in Ukraine, India, Armenia, and Ethiopia. If we consider a more remote area, then the location of the mineral is Australia, Italy, South Africa and Greenland.

In its bulk, basalt is mined from volcanic lava flows. The upper layers found often have a bubbly surface, this is due to the fact that in the process of cooling, gases and vapors come out of it. After that, minerals existing in the area, such as copper, zeolite or calcium, are located in these holes.

Physical and chemical properties

The rock has basalt, a dense and granular structure. With regards to the texture, it is massive or porous. The edges of the rock are not even, broken. To the touch, the roughness of the stone is felt. On the Mohs scale, basalt is gaining from 5 to 7 hardness points.

• high resistance to wear and damage;
• long service life;
• environmental indicators;
• excellent characteristics of sound and heat insulation;
• fire resistance;
• resistance to alkalis and acids;
• the possibility of steam penetration (breeds are able to breathe);
• dielectricity, lightning protection.

From basalt rock, crushed stone, heat-insulating wool and a powder having a refractory quality are made. There are cases when the mineral is used during the manufacture of aggregate for concrete.

Due to the ability to melt, original sculptures are made from balsate, which are then installed on the streets of the city.

The production of the breed belongs to the mining industry. Extraction takes place in mines and quarries, after which, a variety of products are manufactured.

So, from liquid balsate, which subsequently hardens, they make:

• stairs, steps;
• tiles for facade cladding;
• thermal insulation wool;
• reinforced products;
• insulators used for networks of various voltages;
• stands for batteries and other building materials.

Whoever once encountered the excellent characteristics of this rock knows for sure about all the advantages of products made from it. Basalt is famous for its resistance to high temperatures. But, alas, not everyone can afford to purchase it and carry out facade work from stone. That is why for connoisseurs of beauty, there are many other varieties of basalt, which are many times more affordable. However, in this case, you will have to sacrifice strength and other characteristics for which the stone is so famous.

Basalt is a very popular stone, which is found everywhere not only in the CIS countries, but also abroad. Regardless, most people don't know what basalt is. This article will provide an answer to this question.

Basalt is an igneous rock. Has the main composition. The name comes from the Ethiopian "basal" - boiled, which means "a stone containing iron." In nature, it can be found in the form of stones of various shapes or in the form of a lava flow.

Most often it has a dark gray, black or greenish-black color. It is in green that basalt is most often found in the photo. The structure is also different. glassy, ​​cryptocrystalline aphyric and porphyritic. In the case of a porphyritic structure, one can notice inclusions of crystals of greenish-yellow olivine, light-colored plagioclase, or pyroxenes that have the shape of black prisms. Inclusions make up from 15% to 30% of the mass of igneous rock. The size of the phenocrysts is several centimeters in length.

Stones can have a dense, massive, almond-like and porous texture. Tonsils can be filled with calcite, chlorite, plagioclase and other minerals. Stones with tonsils are called mandelsteins.

The stone stands out for its unique properties. Among the stones, it is considered the most elastic and plastic. It stretches well, which allows it to be used in the manufacture of things of small sizes.

The melting point of the stone fluctuates 100 to 1500 degrees Celsius. This melting point allows it to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations.

Considering its strength, resistance to shock and temperature changes, one can understand why it is so often used in the design of public spaces and on the street.

How and where is basalt formed?

The main method of stone formation is solidification of magma erupted from the lower layers of the earth. Silicate igneous melt of basalt composition is also taken into account. The origin of magma itself comes from the rocks of the Earth's mantle. The type of the resulting basalt is determined by the composition of the initial substance (rock) from which it is formed. And also this is influenced by the conditions under which it melts and the mechanism of melt escape.

Basalt is an igneous rock found on much of the Earth and other planets. Almost the entire oceanic crust of the planet Earth consists of it. Deposits of this stone are formed in the form of traps - structures that look like stairs. These traps are located on 150,000 square kilometers of the Yenisei and Lena river basins. And also the stone is mined in eastern Siberia.

In addition to the CIS countries, it is mined in America, Brazil, Greenland, Iceland and Australia. Among foreign countries, India is considered the richest in deposits of this stone.

Extraction of stone is carried out in mines and quarries. The mined basalt is sent to enterprises engaged in the manufacture of things using this stone.

Scope of stone use

The areas of application are many. This stone is very common due to the fact that it has great features:

One of the main areas of application of basalt is architectural construction. Due to its good technical characteristics, it can be used for cladding buildings and interior decoration. The characteristics allow you to install basalt products even in open areas under the influence of external negative factors.

It can also be used in construction. For example, to create high-quality building materials and insulation. In addition, its strength is sufficient to build columns and arches out of it. In the production of reinforced structures, basalt powder is added to the product to increase its strength and reliability.

Basalt is a stone that is very popular both in construction and architecture. In addition, there are a huge number of photos of basalt in interior decoration that speak of its popularity in design art.

Basalt stone

Basalt

During crystallization, as basalt magma rises to the surface of the Earth, at a depth, strongly differentiated in composition, layered intrusions are sometimes formed, in particular gabbro-norites (such as Norilsk, Sudbury in Canada and some others). In such massifs there are deposits of copper-nickel ores and platinoids.

Basic igneous rocks very common in the CIS. They occupy, taking into account the Siberian traps, 44.5% of the territory of the CIS and are of great interest as raw materials. More than 200 deposits of basalt rocks are known, of which more than 50 deposits are being exploited. Currently, basalts are used not only in construction (crushed stone, piece stone, building cladding, etc.), but also for the production of stone casting, petrositalls, basalt fibers, and raw materials for Portland cement clinker.

Origin

Basalts are formed during the solidification of a silicate magmatic melt of the main (basalt) composition that has poured out onto the surface of the Earth, meaning by this the bottom of the ocean. Forms of occurrence - flows and covers, separated by deposits of pyroclastic (tuff) or sedimentary material. The power of individual flows of basaltic lavas, which have a low viscosity in the molten state, is usually small. According to one of the hypotheses, the origin of basalt magma consists in the partial melting of typical mantle rocks, harzburgites, wehrlites, etc. The composition of the smelt is determined by the chemical and mineral composition of the protolith (original rock), the physicochemical conditions of melting, the degree of melting, and the melt escape mechanism.

According to the geodynamic nature, the following types of basalts are distinguished:

• mid-ocean ridge basalts
• basalts of active continental margins
• intraplate basalts, which can be subdivided into continental and oceanic basalts.

The eruption of mid-ocean ridge basalts is the most important process in terms of mass in the upper part of the Earth.

Changes

Basalts are very easily altered by hydrothermal processes. At the same time, plagioclase is replaced by sericite, olivine by serpentine, the groundmass is chloritized, and as a result, the rock acquires a greenish or bluish color. The basalts that pour out at the bottom of the seas change especially intensively. They actively interact with water, while many components are removed and deposited from them. This process has great importance for the geochemical balance of some elements. So most of the manganese enters the ocean in this way. Interaction with water radically changes the composition of marine basalts. This influence can be estimated and used to reconstruct the conditions of ancient oceans from basalts.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

Synonyms:

See what "Basalt" is in other dictionaries:

- (Latin basaltes, from Heb. barsel iron). Mining rock, found in the form of pillars. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. BASALT lat. basaltes. Mining stone spilled rock, found in the form of ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Basalt- - dark volcanic rock, consisting of a dense or very fine-grained mass, but may contain porphyritic segregations. Basalt is well polished. Basalt is used as rubble stone, filler for concrete, for paving ... ... Builder's Dictionary

Dark cainotype volcano. n., which is the effusive equivalent of gabbro, consisting of Ch. arr. from basic plagioclase (labrador, bytonite or even anorthite), augite and often olivine. Magnetite or ilmenite is usually present. The breed is entirely ... ... Geological Encyclopedia

Trapp, variolite, anamesite Dictionary of Russian synonyms. basalt n., number of synonyms: 8 anamesite (2) ... Synonym dictionary

Dark dense recent igneous rock. Previously, it was combined into one group, along with many other breeds similar to them in appearance, under the common name of the trap; Subsequently, this group was subdivided into dolerites, anamesites and basalts ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

basalt- a, m. basalte m., German. Basalt, lat. basaltes. Rock of volcanic origin. Sl. 18. Volcanic rock of fine-grained or dense structure, usually black or dark gray. ALS 2. First noted. in Sl. comm… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

basalt- basalt, basaltic rocks Basalt is a cainotype basic mountain rock. The texture is massive and porous. Zabarvlennya B. dark to black. Efusive analogue of Gabro. H.h. from basic plagioclase, monoclinic pyroxene, olivine, ... ... Girnichiy encyclopedic dictionary

A dark, effusive mafic rock composed primarily of mafic plagioclase, pyroxenes, and often olivine. Full-crystalline basalts dolerites, with a glassy structure hyalobasalts and tachylites. Basalts occupy huge ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Basalt is one of the most widespread outflowing rocks, having a dark gray or black color, has a high density.

History of the stone

The name of this mineral appeared due to the word from the Ethiopian language "basal", which translates as "boiled". The reason for this name is that basalt appeared due to volcanic eruptions.

Basalt was widely used due to the fact that paving stones were made from it for paving streets, as well as squares. Even today, the historical parts of most cities in Russia are paved with paving stones made of basalt.

It is believed that 4 elements are combined in basalt at once - fire, water, earth and air. As a result, a large amount of heat is retained in the mineral, which favorably affects the ability of basalt to thermally affect the body of any person.

The chemical composition of basalt

Basalt contains calcium feldspar, augite, volcanic glass, plagioclase microlites, etc.

Deposits and use

There are rich deposits of basalt in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, India, Iceland, Greenland, Australia, North America, Africa.

It is used during construction as a rubble stone, a filler for concrete, as a building material in the implementation of paving streets, in the production process of cast stone products. It is basalt that is the main source of crushed stone and acid-resistant powder. It is also popular in outdoor finishing works buildings.

Types and colors

To date, there are several varieties of basalt.

• Which contains an excess of silica, is called quartz-normative;
• In which there is a lack of silica, is called nepheline-normative;
• In which there is no normative quartz or nepheline, it is called hypersthene-normative.

Concerning colors, then basically, these are shades of black and gray, very rarely - green and red-brown.

Medicinal properties

Today, basalt as an element of treatment is mainly used in the course of stone therapy, which has its roots in ancient times. Stone therapy has a beneficial effect on the state of the immune system as a whole.

A prerequisite for conducting stone therapy is the requirement to preserve the natural appearance of basalt. In addition, the size of the stone affects the medical power of the mineral, therefore, the larger the stone, the more significant it is. positive influence affects the health of a person undergoing stone therapy.

To cleanse the stones after the procedures from negative energy, they need to be washed under a strong stream of cold and always clean water. And in order for the stones to be recharged, they must be placed in dry salt for a while, and then put in the sun.

magical properties

Information about magical properties basalt is extremely scarce, if not practically absent. It is known that this mineral allows men to experience greater self-confidence, as this mineral carries male energy. There is also an opinion that the stone has a beneficial effect on the strength of the family, strengthening the atmosphere of goodwill and emotional balance.

Which zodiac sign suits

Astrologers do not talk about the negative or positive impact of basalt for representatives of any zodiac sign.

Natural stones and rocks have long gone out of the category of only finishing or ballast materials. Thanks to new technologies and chemical processes classic stones such as basalt or granite are deeply processed into artificial stone structures with the durability and hardness of rock.

What is the mineral basalt

From the point of view of chemistry and mineralogy, the natural material basalt is a complex structure in which crystalline formations and fine-grained inclusions of magnetite, complex silicates and metal oxides are intertwined. Basalt rock is of igneous origin, so its structure is more like a complex mixture of amorphous volcanic glass, micron feldspar crystals, quartz, carbonates, sulfide ores.

Basalt stone is easy to distinguish from other volcanic rocks, primarily due to its black, smoky black, greenish color. This stone has found wide use in construction and production of special materials for the chemical industry due to a number of specific properties:

• The material is very heavy and hard, the density of basalt rock can vary from 2.5 to 3 kg per dm 3 , high hardness provides good resistance to abrasion, including under the action of abrasives and water flows.
• The high melting point makes it possible in some cases to use the rocks included in basalt to obtain fire-resistant and refractory materials.

Important ! by the most simple use is the cutting of massifs of basalt into facing stone and slabs. Due to the specific natural color of the rock, black or black-green finishes are widely used for wall cladding of basement floors and porches.

The main areas of application of basalt

The most irrational way is to use basalt as ballast, crushed stone for road construction, filler for concrete castings, and foundations. In some deposits, basalt stone has a relatively high water absorption coefficient, due to which screenings from such stone can be used for the manufacture of exceptionally strong concrete foundations, walls, arches, load-bearing columns.

Products of deep processing of basalt

The most well-known materials from basalt, obtained by remelting the rock, are heat insulators, various grades of fiber material, and felt. Mineral fibers from basalt rock have a very high resistance to high temperatures and open flames. For example, a heat-insulating mat made of basalt fiber only 5 cm thick can withstand direct heating of a gas burner without destruction and burnout, while the temperature on the back of the heat insulator does not rise above 50 ° C.

In addition, basalt fiber does not give sharp chips, like fiberglass and glass wool, so it is safer for human skin, and any dust from basalt insulation is easily removed with water. Nevertheless, when handling any heat insulators made of basalt, it is necessary to use respirators and goggles. A few micron thick fiber material produces a large amount of dust, which has a pronounced irritating effect. After completion of work, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the face, hands and other exposed areas of the body in order to get rid of basalt dust, which easily penetrates even through protective gloves.

Basalt felt is considered the most suitable and durable material for arranging protection and thermal insulation. chimneys, chimneys, fireboxes for fireplaces and stoves. Previously, asbestos fiber was used for such purposes, which was abandoned in favor of basalt. Due to the high melting point of basalt, the production of fiber requires significant costs, so thermal insulation based on it stands out for a relatively high price.

The remelting of basalt rock gives not only fiber for the production of heat and thermal insulation, in a similar way high-temperature casting from the melt is produced:

1. Shaped parts and elements, tiles, non-standard floor coverings designed for laying in places with high traffic intensity. Due to high hardness and wear resistance, the service life of such coatings significantly exceeds the wear parameters of clinker tiles, various types of sintered materials made of ceramics, dolomites, marble, calcite and other types of decorative stone and rock.
2. The high density of basalt stone makes it possible to cast a specific type of products for high voltage electrical networks from the melt. Insulators based on basalt rock have dielectric characteristics much higher than ceramic or glass ones. But not all types of basalt stone have similar properties; rock with exceptionally high density, up to 3 tons per cubic meter, is suitable as a raw material. It is necessary to extract such a rock from a depth of at least 70 meters of the seam in the mine.
3. In addition to mechanical properties, fused basalt products are highly resistant to alkalis and acids at high temperature, therefore, shaped castings are often made from basalt for the construction of various types of apparatus, product pipelines, and tanks in the chemical industry.

Finishing decorative forms of basalt

In addition to industrial use, basalt is increasingly used as an ornamental stone due to its black with shades of gray, smoky, sometimes greenish color. The most famous type of basalt decor is considered to be Italian-made facing tiles. Basalt tiles of a specific texture with a beautiful pattern can cost at the level of marble or marble-like limestone finishes.

Recently, finishing materials made of natural basalt stone with a specific smoky surface shade have appeared on the market. Due to its characteristic texture, natural stone from China is increasingly in demand in the decoration of stairs and the creation of monuments, sculptures, fountains. Cheaper varieties of basalt stone are used to build decorative fences, columns, entrance groups, verandas. Increasingly, basalt stone is used as a material for the construction of monuments, steles, elements of tombstones and crypts.

High abrasion resistance makes it possible to use basalt in the form of paving stones for paving pedestrian areas and roadways. At the same time, the service life of such a coating can reach tens of years. In addition to paving stones, cast slabs are used, which in some cases successfully replace the finishing of stairs and steps made of porcelain stoneware, natural granite, gabbro and more expensive finishing materials.

Conclusion

Despite all the advantages of basalt, it is not recommended to use it for interior decoration, since this rock, like other heavy rocks of igneous origin, may have an increased radiation background. Therefore, careful checking and monitoring of the level of radioactivity of this finishing material before using it.