Why Is The Crystal Size Of Granite Different From Basalt

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.

Why is the crystal size of granite different from basalt.

Granite and basalt have different compositions and form under different circumstances. 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 wikipedia wikimedia foundation 13 sept. The crystals in granite being intrusive in nature will be larger than those in basalt an extrusive igneous rock.

The crystal size is indicative of the time required for growth of the crystal in the igneous melt. Summary of basalt vs. Intrusive igneous rocks have cooled slowly from magma extrusive rocks have. If magma is trapped underground in an igneous intrusion it cools slowly because it is insulated by the surrounding rock.

Granite is coarser grained as compared to basalt which is extremely fine grained. In granite the crstals are so big they ussually take up at least 70. Basaltic crust is dark and thin and heavy while granite is light and accumulates. Granite is a felsic rock meaning that it has a high silicon content.

Though granite and basalt are of different origin but broadly granite is a lower temperature rock as compared to basalt. The trick is to heat the basalt back up again so it can melt and give the iron another shot at the core. Its high iron content gives it magnetic properties and it may show signs of rust when exposed to air. How big are the crystal in granite.

It wants to be there and heat is the key which unlocks the door. Basalt is an igneous volcanic rock that forms commonly in oceanic crust and parts of. Basalt is more common in oceanic crust while granite is more common in continental crust. Basalt can form in a few days to months whereas granite plutons can take millions of years to cool and harden.

Basalt as a mafic rock contains more calcium oxide manganese oxide and iron compounds than granite. As it turns out most of the ocean floor is basalt and most of the continents are granite. Summary basalt vs granite.