Editing Basalt (section)

===Earth===
Basalt is the most common volcanic rock type on Earth, making up over 90% of all volcanic rock on the planet.<ref name="UnivAuckland">{{cite web | url=https://flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/rocks_minerals/rocks/basalt.html | title=Basalt | publisher=The University of Auckland | website=Geology: rocks and minerals | date=2005 | access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> The [[crust (geology)|crustal]] portions of [[ocean]]ic [[tectonic plate]]s are composed predominantly of basalt, produced from upwelling mantle below the [[ocean ridge]]s.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=366–368}} Basalt is also the principal volcanic rock in many [[oceanic island]]s, including the islands of [[Hawaii (island)|Hawai{{okina}}i]],{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=365–370}} the [[Faroe Islands]],{{sfn|Schmincke|2003|p=91}} and [[Réunion]].<ref name="upton-wadsworth-1965">{{cite journal |last1=Upton |first1=B. G. J. |last2=Wadsworth |first2=W. J. |title=Geology of Réunion Island, Indian Ocean |journal=Nature |date=July 1965 |volume=207 |issue=4993 |pages=151–154 |doi=10.1038/207151a0 |bibcode=1965Natur.207..151U |s2cid=4144134 }}</ref> The eruption of basalt lava is observed by geologists at about 20 volcanoes per year.<ref name="Walker1993">{{Cite book |last1=Walker |first1=G.P.L. |chapter=Basaltic-volcano systems |editor1-last=Prichard |editor1-first=H.M. |editor2-last=Alabaster |editor2-first=T.  |editor3-last=Harris |editor3-first=N.B.W. |editor4-last=Neary |editor4-first=C.R. |title=Magmatic Processes and Plate Tectonics |pages=3–38 |publisher=The Geological Society |series=Geological Society Special Publication 76 |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-903317-94-8 }}</ref>

[[File:Parana traps.JPG|thumb|[[Paraná Traps]], [[Brazil]]]]
Basalt is the rock most typical of [[large igneous province]]s. These include [[continental flood basalt]]s, the most voluminous basalts found on land.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=52–59}} Examples of continental flood basalts included the [[Deccan Traps]] in [[India]],<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-94-015-7805-9_5 |chapter=Deccan Traps |title=Continental Flood Basalts |series=Petrology and Structural Geology |year=1988 |last1=Mahoney |first1=John J. |volume=3 |pages=151–194 |isbn=978-90-481-8458-3 }}</ref> the [[Chilcotin Group]] in [[British Columbia]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bevier |first1=Mary Lou |title=Regional stratigraphy and age of Chilcotin Group basalts, south-central British Columbia |journal=Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |date=1 April 1983 |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=515–524 |doi=10.1139/e83-049|bibcode=1983CaJES..20..515B }}</ref> [[Canada]], the [[Paraná Traps]] in Brazil,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Renne |first1=P. R. |last2=Ernesto |first2=M. |last3=Pacca |first3=I. G. |last4=Coe |first4=R. S. |last5=Glen |first5=J. M. |last6=Prevot |first6=M. |last7=Perrin |first7=M. |title=The Age of Parana Flood Volcanism, Rifting of Gondwanaland, and the Jurassic-Cretaceous Boundary |journal=Science |date=6 November 1992 |volume=258 |issue=5084 |pages=975–979 |doi=10.1126/science.258.5084.975|pmid=17794593 |bibcode=1992Sci...258..975R |s2cid=43246541 }}</ref> the [[Siberian Traps]] in [[Russia]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Renne |first1=P. R. |last2=Basu |first2=A. R. |title=Rapid Eruption of the Siberian Traps Flood Basalts at the Permo-Triassic Boundary |journal=Science |date=12 July 1991 |volume=253 |issue=5016 |pages=176–179 |doi=10.1126/science.253.5016.176 |pmid=17779134 |bibcode=1991Sci...253..176R |s2cid=6374682 }}</ref> the [[Karoo]] [[flood basalt]] province in South Africa,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jourdan |first1=F. |last2=Féraud |first2=G. |last3=Bertrand |first3=H. |last4=Watkeys |first4=M. K. |title=From flood basalts to the inception of oceanization: Example from the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar high-resolution picture of the Karoo large igneous province |journal=Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems |date=February 2007 |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=n/a |doi=10.1029/2006GC001392 |bibcode=2007GGG.....8.2002J |doi-access=free }}</ref> and the [[Columbia River Plateau]] of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[Oregon]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hooper |first1=P. R. |title=The Columbia River Basalts |journal=Science |date=19 March 1982 |volume=215 |issue=4539 |pages=1463–1468 |doi=10.1126/science.215.4539.1463 |pmid=17788655 |bibcode=1982Sci...215.1463H |s2cid=6182619 }}</ref> Basalt is also prevalent across extensive regions of the Eastern [[Galilee earthquake of 1837|Galilee]], [[Golan Heights|Golan]], and [[Bashan]] in [[Israel]] and [[Syria]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Reich |first1=Ronny |title=The Architecture of Ancient Israel |last2=Katzenstein |first2=Hannah |date=1992 |publisher=Israel Exploration Society |isbn=978-965-221-013-5 |editor-last=Kempinski |editor-first=Aharon |location=Jerusalem |pages=312 |chapter=Glossary of Archaeological Terms |editor-last2=Reich |editor-first2=Ronny }}</ref>

Basalt also is common around volcanic arcs, specially those on thin [[crust (geology)|crust]].{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=374-380}}

Ancient [[Precambrian]] basalts are usually only found in fold and thrust belts, and are often heavily metamorphosed. These are known as [[greenstone belt]]s,{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|pp=398–399}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smithies |first1=R. Hugh |last2=Ivanic |first2=Tim J. |last3=Lowrey |first3=Jack R. |last4=Morris |first4=Paul A. |last5=Barnes |first5=Stephen J. |last6=Wyche |first6=Stephen |last7=Lu |first7=Yong-Jun |title=Two distinct origins for Archean greenstone belts |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |date=April 2018 |volume=487 |pages=106–116 |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2018.01.034 |bibcode=2018E&PSL.487..106S }}</ref> because low-grade [[metamorphism]] of basalt produces [[Chlorite group|chlorite]], [[actinolite]], [[epidote]] and other green minerals.{{sfn|Blatt|Tracy|1996|pp=366-367}}