Two Differences Between Granite And Basalt

Basalt is basic and contains a substantial amount of olivine whereas granite is.

Two differences between granite and basalt.

Granites are light colored and basalt is dark. Differences between basalt and granite although there are some similarities between basalt and granite there are also significant differences between these two rock types. Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock whereas granite is an intrusive ingenuous rock. Basaltic crust is dark and thin and heavy while granite is light and accumulates into continent sized rafts which bob about like corks in this sea of basalt.

Granite is the principal component of the continental crust while basalt is the principal component of the oceanic crust. Granite is an intrusive rock with few contaminants while basalt is an extrusive rock with many contaminants. Granite is lighter in color than basalt. Basalt is volcanic or extrusive forming at the surface while granite is plutonic or intrusive forming beneath the surface.

While basalt rocks split along columnar planes granite rocks give way along horizontal planes. One other difference between basalt and granite pertains to the way these two types of rocks split when putting under pressure. The color of the rocks is dependent on the mineral composition of the rock.