Basalt And Granite Weathering

The classifications depend on how the.

Basalt and granite weathering.

For example granite and basalt are both igneous rocks with different chemical composition and structure and therefore different weathering rates. It is common both on earth and other planetary bodies. Why does basalt weather faster than granite. Earth contains three kinds of rocks namely igneous rocks sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks basalt and granite are two types of igneous rocks.

Basalt is an aphanitic fine grained igneous rock that is relatively low in silica and alkali metals it has less than 10 feldspathoid by volume with at least 65 of the rock consisting of feldspar in the form of plagioclase this places basalt in the basalt andesite field of the qapf diagram basalt is further distinguished from andesite by its silica content of less than 52. Basalt weathers faster than granite because it is not as hard and it s easier for outside substances to impact and manipulate its structure. The higher weathering fluxes associated with basalt weathering have been explained by the high intrinsic reactivity of basaltic mafic mineral assemblages oelkers and gíslason 2001 dessert et al 2003 gíslason and oelkers 2003 increased porosity in the basalt weathering zone navarre sitchler et al 2009 navarre sitchler et al 2013. Thus the low degree of mineral alteration in gabbro rindlets reflects a shorter time of residence for minerals in this system compared to rindlets on granitic outcrops.

Weathering how rocks break down can happen in a multitude of ways including adding water and freezing impacting plant roots impact from another object and when minerals expand. Its principle minerals include pyroxene feldspar and olivine. The earth s crust is made up of 3 different kinds of rocks and minerals. Magnetite is one of the most resistant common minerals in basalt and forms the bulk of heavy mineral sands.

All rocks of igneous origin consist of magma or molten earth that finds its way up to. Rocks with minerals that crystallize late in bowen s reaction series like granite are usually more resistant to chemical weathering than those with minerals that crystallize early like basalt. Spheroidal weathering is the result of chemical weathering of systematically jointed massive rocks including granite dolerite basalt and sedimentary rocks such as silicified sandstone it occurs as the result of the chemical alteration of such rocks along intersecting joints. It forms from lava flows which extrude onto the surface and cool.

Basalt is an igneous volcanic rock that forms commonly in oceanic crust and parts of continental crust. Summary of basalt vs. Sedimentary metamorphic and igneous. Basalt is largely composed of minerals with little resistance to weathering.