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Basalt vs. Rhyolite — What's the Difference?

Basalt vs. Rhyolite — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Basalt and Rhyolite

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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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