What is basalt ? - A geologist explains
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- čas přidán 18. 06. 2022
- #geology #basalt
What is basalt and what are basaltic rocks? Geologist Dr Brooke Johnson explains in this video and gives a quick introduction to basaltic igneous geology.
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Excellent! Please do more on basalt. I live on Vancouver island, British Columbia, Canada and geologically we are different from the mainland west coast of the country. This island started closer down by the equator and made its way to where it sits now. The basalt we have here is one of my favourites and I would love to learn more. Great informative video, thank you😊
Have you seen Skippy the Fossil Freak? He collects fossils on Vancouver Island. Will have a look at the basalt in your area!
I've only been to Calgary and Field, and would love to see more of Canada.
@@geologyjohnson7700 I met Skippy and did some rockhounding a couple months ago with him. Tim is a great guy!
I added Brix blend basalt powder to my soil for a landscaping project. The granules were a little larger than table sugar. I put it in my soil at about 3% per volume, and got a soil test from a university soil testing lab that is one of the best in my area around New York. The results came back that the soil's macro nutrients were super, super high. The iron and manganese, which were in the micro nutrient category, were also astronomical.
The process was done using the Mehlich 3 extraction. The numbers are pounds per acre.
My soil's numbers:
Phosphorus: 250
Potassium: 716
Magnesium: 467
Calcium: 3790
Here's a scale of numbers showing the relative position of my soil numbers:
Macronutrients Units Very Low Low Medium High Very High
Phosphorus pounds/acre 0-24 25-45 46-71 72-137 >137
Potassium pounds/acre 0-40 41-81 82-145 146-277 >277
Magnesium pounds/acre 0-45 46-83 84-143 144-295 >295
Calcium pounds/acre 0-615 616-1007 1008-1400 1401-1790 >1790
My iron and manganese numbers: and their table of relative values:
Iron(Fe) = 387.85 (High)
Manganese(Mn) = 57.54 (High)
Table of relative values:
Micronutrients Units Critical Level High
Iron ppm soil 50 100
Manganese pH dependent: calculate an activity index
MnAI = 101.7 + 3.75Mn - 15.2pH
25 100
Question: might the Mehlich 3 extraction method, which is to put the soil sample in an acid solution (2.5 pH), thereby releasing its soluble form of iron and manganese into Fe2 and Mn2, create a "false" positive, so to speak? Is it possible that in the soil, the basalt won't convert its nutrients so completely as it did in the lab?
Is there hope, or should I remove the basalt?
Here's a 52 second video of the New York State agricultural/horticultural cooperative extension showing one of their offices recommending gardening in soil that is 30% basalt by volume!!! czcams.com/video/XLmV4RuWbvw/video.html
If it works for them, shouldn't it be ok for landscaping?
Here's a detailed description of the Mehlich 3 extraction method. The soil is put through a 2mm sieve, which is big enough to allow all the basalt to pass through and be included in the testing sample. The soil : acid ratio is 1 : 10.
Question: In the above 1:10 ratio, is 10 a good representation of what the soil could expect to encounter when in a landscaping scenario? The acidic solution the Mehlich process uses has a pH of 2.5. This could be low enough to give me hope, I hope!
I don't do soil science at all and don't want to give you false information. But I can tell you that chemical extraction methods like the one you mentioned are usually more efficient and faster than biological leaching and weathering in sediments.
The data you present looks typical for a basaltic rock in terms of elemental distributions. I think the reason basalt is recommended is that it leaches the nutrients into the soil slowly. I have a colleague who studies the break down of basalt in soil so I will ask them.
I'm thinking of pursuing a PhD in basalt weathering for carbon capture and this information is super useful to me in getting a sense of its effect on soil. Thanks for sharing, hope your basalt addition is going well for your landscaping project!
@@pajarobobo Thanks and all the best in your PhD! I had to put it on hold, because I have drainage issues in the backyard that sometimes result in a flooded back yard. If you are in the NY area and know a good yard drainage person, please let me know how to contact them. There are lots of contractors but none of them are good listeners. Very frustrating.
You should know that here in NY, Cornell University is leading the way in researching carbon capture from farming with soil amended with basalt. Look them up. I don't have the address handy, otherwise I'd copy and paste it here. All the best!!!
- Most astute. Thank-you, Sir.
Love this stuff thank you
Oh my goodness I’m so glad I’ve found your channel - the way you explain clicks with my brain! 🙌🙏👌 thanks for your efforts in educating this rock dork here! 😁👍
Thanks for watching. I'm glad to hear I can explain it in a way that's easy for you to understand!
very basic video! thanks mate
Very interested in mineralogy. Have recently got onto organic Gardening - so it's great to have some geological context on the mineral gardening inputs
Glad it was helpful! Soil formation and soil rock interactions are a whole science in themselves. It's pretty fascinating!
This is my new home ❤️
Love this channel
Thanks, glad you are enjoying the videos!
It was adorable watching you crack yourself up. Thank you basic g
Glad you enjoyed it! I mostly laugh at my own jokes tbh.
Good explanation loved it as much as I love rocks
Glad you enjoyed it. We all love rocks here. :)
Awesome video !
Thanks, glad you liked it!
I have questions to the formation theories you’ve provided for basalt. If basalt is lava, why doesn’t it behave like lava? As the lava is being evacuated, why doesn’t basalt seem to be affected by gravity. The columns are hundreds of feet in length, and all terminate at the same point at the top. What makes basalt lava behave so strangely? Pumice very much shows evidence of flows, with zero discernible geometric patterns, just air pockets. Basalt is found in vertical columns, in geometric patterns that strangely resemble organic cell structure. How does the flow stay strand oriented? Why does it form the same pattern throughout the formation? Why are they flat topped?
Basalt lava is really thick, it's more like liquid concrete than water when it is liquid. As the basalt cools, the outside hardens first and creates and confines the lava inside so it starts to pile up and forms a channel inside the lava flow. Also laval does follow gravity and flows downhill and into low lying areas. Sometimes the landscape around the lava gets eroded away making it look like the lava is free standing. Ancient lava flows also usually represent lots of flows that have piled up over thousands of years, rather than one single event. The polygon columns form because as the lava cools and cystalises from the outside in, it contracts into polygons around areas that are cooling slightly faster than others. Ice does the same thing sometimes. The column are usually perpendicular to the land surface at the time of cooling.
thanks, helped me gain an understanding of the basics (hehe) of basalt
lol, nice!
Please sir [holding my hand up very high] something I can't find beyond 'quickly' 'slowly' and 'fairly slowly' is how fast these different igneous rock cool.. to solid state. Lava clearly cools with in a few hours to few days/weeks.... but what of igneous rocks like dykes or sills or deeper with in the plumbing of the volcano like Gabbros .. weeks, months, years ,centuries.. 1000s of years? and what does crystal size tell about speed of cooling... thx Jules
Its all relative and in geological timescales. Surface lava cools with hours to months depending on thickness of flow. So almost instantly in geological terms.
Intrusive stuff is difficult to say because we can't measure it directly due to it happening hundreds to thousands of meters underground.
But estimates based on experimental, thermodynamic, and computer modelling studies suggests that shallow intrusions take 100 to 1000 years to cool completely, while deep intrusions can take 1000 to 10000 years to cool competition completely.
However, it depends on the composition of the intrusive melt, the composition of the material being intruded, and the temperature difference between the two.
For example, a melt intruding hot dry rocks will cool much more slowly than the same melt intruding cold wet rocks.
There are also interesting exceptions too. Like pegmatites which have huge crystals that grow within a few months (see my granite video).
Crystal size also depends on how saturated the growth liquid is with respect to that mineral. If the liquid is ~too~ saturated then you will get lots of small crystals even if cooling is slow.
@@geologyjohnson7700 wow thanks.. those estimates are vague enough to give me a very rough idea..which is all I'm looking for at the moment.
Look forward to up coming videos
I'm 55 years very nice
Can you comment on the (a) vertical, (b) cylindrical/hexagon/octagon, and (c) overall curved shapes of this basalt? And what I mean by that is, formations where all three of these descriptors are present?
The polygon columns are from the cooling. The curved shapes are usually a result of the lava flowing over and around landforms.
You must watch until the end to hear the rock art! Divine!
Which of these is used to make surface plates?
What do you mean by surface plates? Do you mean continental plates?
yes on more academic videos of this stuff.
Will be doing more as soon. Have recently moved to another country so taking a while to get set back up.
A basalt is a rock
Correct!
I have a question for you. I am interested in researching an ancient lava flow that is 1.1 billion years old. I've had a lot of problems finding info on the old volcano underneath Duluth MN. I live in Washburn county Wisconsin and just east of the town of Minong near the corner of Rt 77 and county G is the part of the flow I can't seem to find info on.
I want to purchase the property where this is located and everyone that I ask look at me and shrugs their shoulders. Can you give me a source of information on it?
Fascinating, thanks for sharing Steve. I am guessing that is one of the basaltic flows from the formation of the mid-continent rift. If you have not already, try searching google scholar for "Laurentian Mid-continent rift lava flows". Laurentia is the name for the ancient continent that became North America. It maybe that no one has studied this particular outcrop yet and that's why there is no information on it. You could also check out the channels of my colleagues Steven Baumann and Ethan Baxter who may have more information than me. I'll also ask in my online net work if anyone has any info.
@@geologyjohnson7700 thank you so much! I will do that. I never would have known about this flow had it not been for the very small gravel quarry that opened up just west of county G on rt 77. Then a friend of mine had mentioned when he was a young adult used to go hunting near there and said it was as tall as a two story house. I have always wanted to carve a house out of stone. I've been a stone contractor for Thirty years so I'm real interested in it. I've tried to get in touch with the people at that quarry but their hours are weird and the entrance gate to that property is usually closed. There are flows all over that area. Thanks again.
Hi! Not sure if this helps, but this professor may have some amount of experience in the geographical area you mention: www.youtube.com/@professorsasha9100/videos It might be worth an ask. Thank you.
Nick Zentner from Central Washington University maybe?
Do you know what type(s) of Basalt rocks are located in Antarctica, by the McMurdo Station?
There's a range of basaltic rocks and some ultrabasic intrusions too. Phillip Kyle has a pdf you can download at Researchgate.net called "Geology of Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island" which gives more detail.
Heat causes melt or glass. Basalt has a crystalline structure. How can basalt cool with crystal formation from lava or magma?
If the molten rock has the right chemistry, and it cools at the right rate, then the cooling melt will crystalise.
@@geologyjohnson7700 That would occur underwater under high pressure from the water depth, such as in the observed submarine basalt columns from Puna Ridge, Hawaii. Otherwise, what you're describing is that terrestrial basalt was formed underwater at great pressure depths, such as during the great flood (when fountains opened up such as diatremes) or the creation of the earth which was initially covered in water (Genesis 1:2). Otherwise, lava would cool into mostly glass under less pressure, such as obsidian or pumice. Correct? Example, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, is in a crater. The Tower itself is an intrusion from a diatreme. See: nps gov/ deto / learn / nature / tower-formation htm
Thus if basalt is the most common rock, then it occurred underwater under pressure. Magma itself has never been observed. What has been observed is quakes before lava eruptions, meaning the quakes cause friction which causes liquid rock or lava which gets squirted to the surface.
Intermediate rocks would be good along with more maffic
I'll see what I can find. The set up in my new dept is a bit weird so it's not as easy to make videos any more. :(
What is the uses of basalt rock.i do have 30pcs...
Aggregate in construction. You can also crush it up and use it in landscape gardening.
Hi former Environmental Geologist 🧙♂️🇬🇧 have you ever taken a look at the type of basalt used in Basalt fiber composite production ..
Its a very useful very available and relatively green material that is none toxic ..none irritating. Substitute for GRP Carbon fiber and Kevlar ...its also a safe substitute for asbestos.
It was originally developed in Ukraine and the old soviet Union.
If you want to see what you can do with it, look up the french Windelo catamerans. It's highly resiliant to puncturing and scratching, saltwater chemicals and all forms of radiation.
Do you think you could pin point Uk basalt bodies ..
At the moment theres a huge amount of oil, energy water and CO2 production going into manufacturing the other composites ..
What Basalt is being used in construction etc is being imported at inflated prices. From far away suppliers..🤔 this stuff is everywhere it should free any country from a lot of construction steel reinforcing.
I didn't know that, thanks for sharing. There's a lot of onshore basalt in the UK but it's mostly in onshore scenic areas and national parks so I'm not sure mining it would be popular.
@@geologyjohnson7700
Yup giants causeway..fingles cave ... that said because of its nature as a composite/fiber one KG of Rock produces 1kg of fiber and living in the Blackcountry i used to visit the old Hailstones hill quarry a deep mined quarry in the middle of what was the the Rowley regis laccolith that forms a massive hill ... It was mined for roadstone mostly. Its in the middle of a built up area topped by a transmitter mast.
There was another that forms a vast crater type quarry at the top of The Clee hills Worcestershire.. the two points are visible from the peaks on a clear day. As are the Malverns and wenlock edge.
Im going to try to put up some links that might be of interest although a thorough search should give you a better feel for it. The only company to operate in the UK was/is based in Ireland but ive an idea was bought out by a US company ..before we started using it in its rebar and mesh forms on the now suspended HS2 project.
Given the biggest damage comes from waste and processing materials for construction and concrete/aggregates then we have to stop taking it from other places... Look up the loss of Hall sands and the Start point disaster... Extracting sand and gravel offshore.
Besides a big hole in basalt has so many uses ..see the Eden project and fresh water reservoirs.
The best sites would be coastal that way you could create a whole safe harbour marina and working community on the site when its worked out.
Imagine terraced benches supporting semi buried homes and workshops round a largely enclosed harbour that allows transport by sea/river and then a usable facility.
The other big idea is to cover it like the Eden project if away from the sea and use it as a production facility for the ATG hybrid airships projects as they have had to move out of the vast sheds at Cardington.
Remember Shorts was a Belfast based company one and Ireland and Spain are two of the targets for HAV passenger services. 🤔
@@geologyjohnson7700
Heres a simple comparison between the Rock and the GRP
czcams.com/video/z7tvhl9rBNE/video.htmlsi=hJP2jehwH2cIVJxw
But have a look for the "The ...... Rock name ... Guru's " site. Sorry but Unter tube tens to delete any links. Or reference but they did that to the Royal Soc of chemists even when i was talking modified wood engineering. Yet they have been there educating since before the USA even 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️.
@@geologyjohnson7700
czcams.com/video/z7tvhl9rBNE/video.htmlsi=hJP2jehwH2cIVJxw try this.
BASIC
I have ston basalt
Cool! Where did you get it from?
🤏thinn very thin!🤏
That’s hot🤔🥳👏🏻
Aye, canny waahm liek, as my Grandad would say.
If basalt is the 2nd most boring, is gabbro the most boring then?
Lol! For me the most boring rock is pure marble. I once had to map a whole area of the stuff. At least the scenery in the area was nice.
'basalt is the second most boring rock on earth' 😂🤣😂
Dweeeeeee………..B
Yup, I wanna see the weirdos of the basaltic world!! Oh please pick me!! I want to see all the weird things that are known to the geology community
I'll have to go track them down in that case?
@@geologyjohnson7700 yes please!!!!! ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
@@HoboMinerals I've got two chunks of basalt in my office that are both 3.2 billion years old and from the same locality. One of them looks identical to basalt being erupted today. One of them is very weird and is no longer produced by volcanos on Earth. Would that be interesting to you?
@@geologyjohnson7700very very interesting!!!
Thanks for this very interesting video! I intend to watch some of your other ones! I got here looking for answers about what rocks in Australia are called Blue Metal, and why some internet articles claim Blue Metal is not basalt, while some claim it is. Some claim it has a high limestone component (calcium carbonate?) and some say it has around, but less than 52% SiO2. This video is also leading me close to understanding how Basalt, Feldspar, Pyroxene (correct name?) and other terms are related.I'm also interested in understanding Serpentine better and why people call it marble.
As a beginner, I found it very helpful to play this video at 75% speed, though I think 80% speed would have been ideal. (no offense intended) Probably my skull-based processor lacks the vigor it once had :) Thanks for your time and effort! PS, if you want to read some poorly written geology (in my opinion) take a look at this, and tell me what you think, or maybe don't even waste the time lol www.localsearch.com.au/guides/landscape-supplies/what-is-blue-metal
Blue metal and blue stone are generic trade terms given to various building stones that look a bit similar but have different origins. Some can igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks. A lot of commercial stones are like this and don't have a single origin. Here in Belgium, blue stone is slate which is metamorphosed mudstone.
Serpentine is a type of clay that forms from the hydrothermal metamorphism of iron and magnesium rich igenous rocks. It can also form from the metamorphism of limestones that contain silicate clay minerals (impure limestones). Both types of rocks and metamorphism produce lots of calcium carbonate which is the main mineral in pure white marble (usualy calcite or aragonite). So this is why you get serpentine marble. The swirly patterns are from the movement of the hydrothermal fluids through the rock.