Appearance
Dark-colored, coarse-grained gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock. It is mostly made up of the minerals augite and plagioclase and is often black or dark green in color. In the deep oceanic crust, it is the most abundant type of rock.
Geographical Distribution
Around the world, gabbro is a common rock type that can be found in a variety of geologic settings. Gabbro is frequently found in layered intrusions as well as huge plutonic rocks like batholiths and dikes. It is frequently found in oceanic crust and occasionally appears in continental crust.
History
A group of rock types found in the ophiolites of the Italian Apennine Mountains were referred to as “gabbro” in the 1760s. It was given the name Gabbro in honor of the Tuscan village next to Rosignano Marittimo. Then, in his 1809 description of these Italian ophiolitic rocks, German geologist Christian Leopold von Buch applied the term more narrowly. The rocks that geologists today would more precisely refer to as “metagabbro” (metamorphosed gabbro) were given the term “gabbro” by him.
Chemical Composition
It is mainly made up of pyroxene, plagioclase feldspar, which is rich in calcium, and occasionally olivine. Its composition is similar to that of basalt, which is its extrusive equivalent.
Uses
- You can polish gabbro to a glossy black sheen. The use of brightly polished gabbro cemetery signs can be found in floor tiles, facade stone, kitchen stalls, and other large stone objects.
- In light of weather and abrasion, this rock is extremely sought-after. Gabbro is marketed under the term “black granite” in the stone business. Numerous rough-cut items, including borders, stones, paving stones, and other items, are also made from gabbro.
- Gabbro is most commonly used as aggregate or crushed stone. In construction projects, crushed gabbro is used as a building block, as crushed stone for building roads, as ballast for railroads, and as a filler in places that require resistant crushed stone.
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