All the silt and slimy living stuff has been removed from this basalt (volcanic rock) sample from Davidson Seamount. This photo shows how basalts are typically fine-grained, massive, very dark rocks. In fact, researchers find it difficult to tell much about oceanic basalts — even with a hand lens. That is why we use chemical analysis to determine which rocks are related to each other, and where they came from. Image copyright 2000 MBARI.
Related Links
Davidson Seamount: Exploring Ancient Coral Gardens
Davidson Seamount: Exploring Ancient Coral Gardens — Geology
