Igneous rocks are formed by the crystallisation of a magma. The difference between granites and basalts is in silica content and their rates of cooling. A basalt is about 53% sio2, whereas granite is 73%.
What Is the Difference Between Basalt and Granite?
Basalt is a dark–colored, fine–grained, igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals.
It most commonly forms as an extrusive rock, such as a lava flow, but can also form in small intrusive bodies, such as an igneous dike or a thin sill. It has a composition similar to gabbro.
The difference between basalt and granite is that basalt is mostly found on the ocean floor, while granite is the most common rock in the continental crust.
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous (volcanic) rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of a planet or moon. Basalts can be broadly classified into two main groups: the tholeiitic basalt and the alkali basalt.
Tholeiitic basalt is relatively rich in silica and iron and forms in Earth‘s ocean basins. Alkali basalt is relatively poor in silica and iron and is found on continents.
Granite is an intrusive igneous rock that has many characteristics in common with basalt. The main difference between granite and basalt is that granite is much more abundant than basalt.
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