Why Is The Crystal Size Of Granite Different From Basalt

Though granite and basalt are of different origin but broadly granite is a lower temperature rock as compared to basalt.

Why is the crystal size of granite different from basalt.

The trick is to heat the basalt back up again so it can melt and give the iron another shot at the core. Intrusive igneous rocks have cooled slowly from magma extrusive rocks have. Summary of basalt vs. Granite is coarser grained as compared to basalt which is extremely fine grained.

If magma cools quickly for example when basalt lava erupts from a volcano then many crystals form very quickly and the resulting rock is fine grained with crystals usually less than 1mm in size. Basalt and granite are two types of igneous rocks that we can find on earth. Granite and basalt have different compositions and form under different circumstances. Basalt is an igneous volcanic rock that forms commonly in oceanic crust and parts of.

Basalt wikipedia wikimedia foundation 13 sept. The crystals in granite being intrusive in nature will be larger than those in basalt an extrusive igneous rock. As it turns out most of the ocean floor is basalt and most of the continents are granite. It is mostly made out of quartz mica and feldspar.

The key difference between basalt and granite is that basalt is mostly occurring on ocean floors while granite is in the crust of the earth in all continents. Its high iron content gives it magnetic properties and it may show signs of rust when exposed to air. In granite the crstals are so big they ussually take up at least 70. If magma is trapped underground in an igneous intrusion it cools slowly because it is insulated by the surrounding rock.

The crystal size is indicative of the time required for growth of the crystal in the igneous melt. It wants to be there and heat is the key which unlocks the door. Granite is a felsic rock meaning that it has a high silicon content. Basalt can form in a few days to months whereas granite plutons can take millions of years to cool and harden.

Basaltic crust is dark and thin and heavy while granite is light and accumulates. How big are the crystal in granite. Summary basalt vs granite.