Basalt vs. Rhyolite — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Basalt and Rhyolite
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Compare with Definitions
Basalt
Basalt (US: , UK: ) is a fine-grained extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or a moon. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt.
Rhyolite
Rhyolite ( RY-ə-lyte) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained rock.
Basalt
A hard, dense, dark igneous rock composed chiefly of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine, and often having a glassy appearance.
Rhyolite
A fine-grained extrusive volcanic rock, similar to granite in composition and usually exhibiting flow lines.
Basalt
A kind of hard unglazed pottery.
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Rhyolite
(geology) An igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, of felsic composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture.
Basalt
(mineral) A hard mafic igneous rock of varied mineral content; volcanic in origin, which makes up much of the Earth's oceanic crust.
Rhyolite
A quartzose trachyte, an igneous rock often showing a fluidal structure.
Basalt
A type of unglazed pottery.
Rhyolite
Very acid volcanic rock
Basalt
A rock of igneous origin, consisting of augite and triclinic feldspar, with grains of magnetic or titanic iron, and also bottle-green particles of olivine frequently disseminated.
Basalt
An imitation, in pottery, of natural basalt; a kind of black porcelain.
Basalt
The commonest type of solidified lava; a dense dark gray fine-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene
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