File:Olivine basalt (Cedar Canyon, Iron County, Utah, USA) 1 (48680326486).jpg

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Igneous rocks form by the cooling & crystallization of hot, molten rock (magma & lava). If this happens at or near the land surface, or on the seafloor, they are extrusive igneous rocks. If this happens deep underground, they are intrusive igneous rocks. Most igneous rocks have a crystalline texture, but some are clastic, vesicular, frothy, or glassy.

Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock. Basalt is the dominant rock in Earth’s upper oceanic crust. Black lava rocks seen at famous volcanoes such as Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii and Mt. Etna in Sicily are composed of basalt. Basalt has a mafic chemistry. Mafic igneous rocks are generally dark-colored, have 45-52% silica (= SiO2 chemistry) (mafic has also been defined as 45 to 55% silica), are rich in iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), & calcium (Ca), and are dominated by the minerals plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene.

Basalt has an aphanitic texture (finely crystalline; all or almost all crystals are <1 mm in size), which forms by relatively quick cooling of lava. Some basalts are porphyritic or coarsely crystalline if the lava flow took time to cool & solidify (e.g., some Proterozoic basalt lavas in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan's Upper Peninsula).


See photos & info. at:

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/albums/72157689603306481">www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/albums/72157689603306481</a>
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Source Olivine basalt (Cedar Canyon, Iron County, Utah, USA) 1
Author James St. John

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This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/48680326486 (archive). It was reviewed on 10 October 2019 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

10 October 2019

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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current00:13, 10 October 2019Thumbnail for version as of 00:13, 10 October 20192,632 × 2,001 (3.66 MB)Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs)Transferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons

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