basaltic

Everyday

1. Made of basalt, a dark, heavy rock that forms when lava from a volcano cools quickly. tree →
2. Like basalt or containing a lot of it. tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography lessons it describes rocks, lava and the sea floor: «basaltic lava» is runny and flows far, as in Hawaii and Iceland. It tells the reader we are talking about volcanoes and igneous rock. Phrases: «basaltic rock», «basaltic lava», «basaltic columns».

Examples

• The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is made of basaltic columns. tree →
• Basaltic lava is runny and flows a long way. tree →
• Most of the ocean floor is basaltic rock. tree →
• The island has black basaltic beaches. tree →
• Our rock kit has a basaltic sample that feels heavy. tree →
• The Moon's dark patches are basaltic plains. tree →
• Volcanoes in Hawaii pour out basaltic lava. tree →

Note

Adjective from the noun basalt (BASS-alt, stress on the first syllable in the UK, often on the second in the US). Basaltic is said bass-AWL-tic. Basalt is an igneous rock, made from cooled lava; granite is another igneous rock but cooled slowly underground.