basalt
Dark igneous rock
Basalt is a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock formed from rapidly cooled lava.
It's the most common rock type in Earth's crust, forming ocean floors and volcanic islands.
Basalt appears in dramatic columnar formations where lava cooled and contracted into hexagonal pillars: The Giant's Causeway is made of basalt columns.
Erupted liquid stone
- magmaMolten rock underground
- eruptionViolent sudden release
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- shield volcanoLow-profile basaltic mountain
cinder cone · aa · vesicular · scoria · fumarole · pyroclastic · lava flow · fissure
Molten rock underground
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
- gabbroDark intrusive igneous rock
- dioriteFeldspar-hornblende igneous rock
- obsidianGlassy igneous rock
pumice · rhyolite · andesite · plutonic · extrusive · intrusive · alkaline · silicate
Closely packed together
- heavyOf great mass
- hardFirm or demanding
- darkAbsence of light
- fine-grainedComposed of minute particles
durable · black · gray · massive · solid · compact · iron-rich · magnetic
Basaltic layer beneath seas
- seafloorOcean's solid base
- tectonicsStudy of crustal deformation
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
mantle · mid-ocean ridge · continental · rift · plateau · stratum · isostasy · bedrock
Geometric fracturing in igneous rock
- hexagonalSix-edged polygon's form
- Devils TowerVolcanic neck in Wyoming
- prismaticLight-dispersing, multicolored
- fractureSplit in hard material
cooling · polygonal · joints · cliff · formation · stack · natural monument · erosion
British luxury ceramics brand
- potteryFired clay objects
- stonewareDense ceramic fired hot
- StaffordshireMidlands county in England
- jasperwareUnglazed decorative stoneware
neoclassical · decorative · vase · urn · ornamental
Laying hard ground cover
- cobblestoneRiver-smoothed paving stone
- aggregateCombined sum total
- building stoneQuarried rock for construction
- roadbedFoundation beneath railway tracks
concrete · masonry · tile · flooring · countertop · veneer · cladding · durability
lava
Erupted liquid stone
shield volcano · cinder cone · aa · vesicular · scoria · fumarole · pyroclastic · lava flow · fissure · hotspot
magma
Molten rock underground
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
- gabbroDark intrusive igneous rock
- dioriteFeldspar-hornblende igneous rock
obsidian · pumice · rhyolite · andesite · plutonic · extrusive · intrusive · alkaline · silicate · olivine
dense
Closely packed together
fine-grained · durable · black · gray · massive · solid · compact · iron-rich · magnetic · porous
oceanic crust
Basaltic layer beneath seas
- seafloorOcean's solid base
- tectonicsStudy of crustal deformation
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
subduction · mantle · mid-ocean ridge · continental · rift · plateau · stratum · isostasy · bedrock · formation
columnar jointing
Geometric fracturing in igneous rock
- hexagonalSix-edged polygon's form
- Devils TowerVolcanic neck in Wyoming
- prismaticLight-dispersing, multicolored
fracture · cooling · polygonal · joints · cliff · formation · stack · natural monument · erosion · weathering
Wedgwood
British luxury ceramics brand
- potteryFired clay objects
- stonewareDense ceramic fired hot
- StaffordshireMidlands county in England
jasperware · neoclassical · decorative · vase · urn · ornamental
paving
Laying hard ground cover
- cobblestoneRiver-smoothed paving stone
- aggregateCombined sum total
- building stoneQuarried rock for construction
roadbed · concrete · masonry · tile · flooring · countertop · veneer · cladding · durability · quarry
- mineralsquartz, marble, granite, limestone, sandstone
- rocky terraincliffs, boulders, scree, outcrops, rockfall
- volcaniclava, magma, tephra, pumice, scoria
- Mount EtnaMount Etna, crater, craters, eruptions, lava flows
- ocean floorseafloor, ocean floor, deep sea floor, oceanic crust, mid-ocean ridge
- rock featurescliff, cliff face, rock face, crag, overhang
basaltlimestone
Carbonate sedimentary rock
sandstone · sedimentary rock · marble · metamorphic rock · shale
- basalt columnsPrismatic volcanic rock formations
- flood basaltVast volcanic rock layer