basalt
noun
ba·salt
| \ bə-ˈsȯlt
, ˈbā-ˌsȯlt
\
, ˈbā-ˌsȯlt
\
Definition of basalt
: a dark gray to black dense to fine-grained igneous rock that consists of basic plagioclase, augite, and usually magnetite
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Other Words from basalt
basaltic
\ bə-ˈsȯl-tik
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of basalt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Posbury has been occupied since the Iron Age, and centuries later, a quarry was opened to take advantage of a prized natural resource on the volcanic outcrop: hard basalt stone. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Would You Like to Buy an Extinct Volcano?," 2 Aug. 2019 Beyond that, near where a wall of basalt bolsters the road’s edge, there’s a stone spring house that had been used as part of a defunct forest service camp. — Mare Czinar, azcentral, "Route 66 'ghost roads' hike: Walk in the vanishing path of the Mother Road," 1 Aug. 2019 Approximately 100 years ago, part of the site was used as a rock quarry, producing basalt stone that was used in the Crediton Church, Medland Manor and a number of other buildings in Devon. — Fox News, "250-million-year-old volcano up for sale for $60G," 30 July 2019 Because these stripes of basalt are magnetized, millions of years of changes in the Earth's magnetic fields essentially recorded how the continents moved. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "How GPS Changed the Way We Think About Our Planet," 18 Apr. 2017 At least some of the stones used to craft sculptures were hit by lightning at some point in the past, magnetizing the material, according to the research conducted on 11 basalt figures. — Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian, "Mesoamerican Sculptures Reveal Early Knowledge of Magnetism," 6 Aug. 2019 But unlike basalt, the recipe for granite typically requires copious amounts of water—which happens on Earth when water-rich oceanic crust subducts below another plate. — Shannon Hall, Scientific American, "Venus, Earth’s Evil Twin, Beckons Space Agencies," 12 June 2019 The astronauts found two main types of rocks at their landing: basalts and breccias, according to the Universities Space Research Association. — Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, "Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong put a flag on the moon. Here's what you can and can't see in the iconic photo," 19 July 2019 The lava formed columns of black basalt at Devils Postpile National Monument, creating surprisingly uniform hexagonal 60-foot columns. — Katherine Rodeghier, Dallas News, "Discover Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite’s lesser-known neighbor," 16 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basalt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for basalt
basalt
noun
English Language Learners Definition of basalt
: a type of dark gray to black rock
See the full definition for basalt in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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