I think the basalts are the most interesting looking rocks. The crystals are beautiful. I love the way some basalts fracture into columns as they cool. Once again, really interesting formations.

I don't understand how some geology enthusiasts aren't interested in Basalt. It can be chunky, & can also speed down slopes in insane speeds! Then the crystals you can get! Dude... I can go on & on! LoL I will say living in Twin Falls is definitely a bonus for my geologic passion! 💚

When visiting sister-in-law in Portrush, County Antrim N. Ireland, was able to pop along to Giants Causeway, incredible hexagonal columns of basalt rising up perfectly interlocking

The tripod definitely helps professor. I had no idea Basalt had so many variants. Throughly enjoying your work, and learning a lot! Amygdule - I have wondered about these structures. (Taking notes)...

Another great vid! Thankyou. You are a truly generous teacher; passing your knowledge to all and any.

Great explanation on basalt. I agree they are interesting. Nice to meet the family :)

This is really fun and special, first maybe because we saw films of babies 2 and 3 being born. And also because some of my own basalt pieces are similar to those you identified. Repeating terms as you do is so helpful to my remembering! You're a thoughtful teacher. 👏🏻 Thank you, Shawn!

Very thorough. I may just be getting the hang of some of the terminology! Thanks.

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Great news. The fancy terms are the crux for many folks. The concepts and processes are much more straightforward.

You are an exceptional teacher, in the teacher-of-the-year category! You make me love learning and discovering and appreciating the Wonderment of nature! I adore your Babies!! And that reticulite, WHOA! I am now a fan of basalt!

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you!

So awesome! The power of Creation. We live near a once active volcano so this afternoon I plan to hike up closer to get a better look at lava basalts. Appreciate your interest in our Mother, the Earth.

Ohh man! 😆 Basalt baby #3 ..thats just good fun! Thnx 4 sharing those

I have a new life goal. To catch a lava bomb in-flight so the tail doesn't break off.

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Wow, wear some sturdy gloves and good luck!

@nolongerlistless

2 ай бұрын

Baseball or cricket training? 😅

I learned a lot. The only thing I ever really considered when encountered basalt in the past was to look at the edges for seams, and amygdules, or vesicles (vugs to a rock hound) for crystal linings. Seeing your collection of the various types of basalt gives me a new appreciation for what I always thought to be just a mundane rock. Well, I guess it still is mundane but it is a lot more interesting than I used to think.

@RockhoundTreasurehunt

Жыл бұрын

100% agree!!

Far more varieties of basalt than I knew existed! And I've never seen the iridescent surface before. Cool. Thanks.

Thank you, professor, for such a clear and diverse presentation of basalt. This has converted my hohum attitude toward basalt to an enthusiastic one. I live in tri-cities of Washington state, so this presentation will be in mind on my own explorations of nature among the basalt areas here.

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Great video! I'm used to seeing basalt more in the hexagonal columns or black rocks than as a lava flow. Interesting, never thought about it being so full of gas pockets and vesicles. 😮

Thank you for your video presentation. The visuals really helped and I never knew basalt could be SO interesting.

Thanks so much for the rapid fire education. Not a criticism at all as most of us folks are not conversant with the in depth explanations of each type so a sound/video bite is perfect for our attention span. So many favourites but the spinning one with the breaking off tails piqued my interest most.

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

I agree that a ~10 or so minute engaging video is ideal and I try to stick to that when possible.

You should come to Newfoundland there is so much to see. This was such a fascinating segment. Thank you.

I just love basalt. And I do love volcanoes. So, yes, that makes sense, like you said. I learned a few things watching. I really enjoyed seeing all the different specimens. My favorite are amygdaloidal basalts with all the different minerals that fill in the vesicles. The ones I find along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior are really cool. I would like to go to Idaho and collect some. I am fortunate to have collected some basalt from Hawaii. Your babies are the coolest....hahaha, well, now they are 🙃 Thanks for the great informative content. 👍

That reticulite mineral was amazing. I have never heard of that before.

I have carved in Columbia River basalt's which are very hard(I use diamond abrasives) and are dark green when the weather rind is removed. Excellent instructive description of basalt's.

You've got an engaging way of making this interesting. It answered many questions I had about basalt, thank you.

Now I know more about what kind of host rock I'm finding when I'm finding the best amethyst at the Kingston Range. Thanks for the help!

Nice video. Helped me brush up on my basalt knowledge. I live on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan, which, as you may know, is almost entirely made of basalt from the Mid-Continent Rift. Lots of native copper was deposited in the vesicles and faults in the basalt. Our area is also called the Copper Country from all the prehistoric and historic copper mining that happened here.

I live in San Diego I have an extinct volcano in my backyard dictionary hill it's always interesting to hike up there and look at all the different types of volcanic rock. Most people don't know this is a volcano and are very surprised when I tell them

Basalt is my favorite!

Reasons you'll love Shawn Willsey's videos: - Covers each specimen in a detailed yet concise manner - Takes time to zoom in and capture multiple veiws of the specimen - Confidence in the information, as it comes from a reputable and reliable source - Delivers information in a manner designed to teach you, not just entertain

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Nice compliment. Thank you. Still working on improvements.

I just Love Rocks!! The history of our Earth!!

Brilliant…. Love those lava babies…. Love rock story telling…. I LOVE ROCKS 😊THEY ROCK!!!!

Fascinating! Lived 'under' cliffs of lava, west of Oakley, growing up and saw a lot of those but never knew much about how they developed, just that they were from lava.

Looking at these basalts, I feel like I missed out! I think the only time I crossed paths with igneous rocks in the field was in grad school when I visited outcrops of carbonatite and some nepheline syenite in the Little Rock-Hot Springs area of Arkansas. Otherwise, we were awash in sedimentary rocks! The basalts are interesting, and I was really impressed with the reticulite specimen which has an almost organic appearance. Always look forward to your videos!

Great samples, and great explanation. I have a few samples that are very similar to some of these. I was assuming mine were some type of basalt, but wasn't sure. Now I am certain. Thank you, and keep these great videos coming. Your hard work is appreciated.

Basalt fibers and fabrics are used as an alternative to fiberglass in skis and snowboards.

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

I had no idea. Wow.

@jimcurtis569

Жыл бұрын

There's a company up here that I believe uses basalt in making non-ferrous rebar.

@ramppit

Жыл бұрын

@@jimcurtis569 do you know the company name please

@jimcurtis569

Жыл бұрын

@ramppit The product is called Gator Bar. The company name is Nouvakis or something like that.

Ah... Such a good daddy. Do you light a candle for them every year on their birthdays? Let them bask in its warmth... I bet they love and appreciate that about you being their dad. 😂

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

They do get preferential treatment over other samples and have a nice place in my office.

@MarioSergioSantosOliveira

7 ай бұрын

😮😮😮😮😮😮😊😊😊😊

Very nice videos. So much information.

What a great view on Basalt rocks. Love the close ups and descriptions. Thanks for making this video.

I have a couple large rocks in my front flower bed. I have never paid much mind to them and until last month as a tree was kind of hiding them. I watched this video and I will be darned…one of them is porphyritic basalt with plagioclase crystals. It matches your first sample exactly but then this is southern Idaho. The other rock appears to be basic basalt with a few vesicles but mostly a black rock. Wowed my Mom when I told her what the one with crystals was.😅 I have a piece of baby basalt from Fagradalsfjall 2021. It came in the ‘volcano’ box from the Reykjavik Grapevine (along with Hraun candy, 2 volcano books..Lava and On Fire and some ‘volcano’ salt). I was amazed it made it to Idaho without breaking the volcanic ‘hairs’ that formed on one side of it.

Great series.

Great video especially your descriptions of your baby basalt samples. Could you explain the physics behind why basalt bombs have tails? This is new to me. Love your videos and thanks!

OMGosh! LOL! You’re not a good father! So funny! Once again I’m envious of your experiences as well as your basalt collection! I have watched the “birth” videos. So exciting! I’m very happy for you to be able to do the things you do! Thank you so much for sharing!

I love how you describe some volcanoes as "nice".

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Some volcanoes (fissures, shield, cinder cone) are "nice", very approachable, and safe. Others (stratovolcanoes, lava domes, and any lava playing with water/ice) are "naughty". Stay away from these when they act up.

@VanPelt01

Ай бұрын

At least he didn't say they were gneiss.

Another fascinating educational video. Thanks Shawn for all your information. Found this, when placed in a jar of water, Scoria sinks to the bottom, and pumice will float. 41 like ...

This is amazing and helpful, thank you so much!

I love that glassy look

Wow! I’ve known so little about basalt, so this is great stuff for me. Being in Minnesota, I know that Minnesota has impressive dark reddish-brownish basalt cliffs along the shores of Lake Superior, reddish from MN’s massive iron minerals deposits. The lava formations were sourced from the Mid-continent Rift that started splitting North America in two, and resulted in gigantic fissure eruptions, miles in length, out of which flowed lava for hundreds of miles. That’s dated at around 1.1 billion years ago. I think it must have looked a lot like what’s occurring on a smaller scale in Iceland!! The North Shore, as it’s called here, is a beautiful place, and some cliffs are popular with rock-climbers.

The tripod has improved the camera work 100%!! Thank you!

I live on the north shore of Lake Superior, in Minnesota. One of the largest basalt out flows occured here about 1.1.billion years ago. My own house is built on a portion of that rock. It is part of what is called the Northshore Volcanics, and, is part of the larger group know as the Dultuth Complex. It makes building a challenge, since we have very thin soils, and we often have to blast for foundations and utility lines.

I live in Panama about 10 miles from a dormant volcano (Baru) and I have a lot that I use for agriculture and periodically encounter small boulders while digging. holes for trees etc. I use wedge & feathers to fracture and remove the rocks which I conclude are basalt. One of your samples aspirated basalt which is black and has tiny shiny specs throughout. The exterior surface is quite smooth and brownish. These rocks are very easy to break and remove. However I found a couple of other rocks that appear very similar but are brown inside and show some evidence of small pitting or pok marks. In the light you can see tiny crystals. The exterior surface is coarse and has small dimples. What intrigues me is that the aspirated basalt fractures very easily and these are boulders that are 3' x 3' x 2' deep. The other rock of similar size will not fracture or split with the same application of wedge and feathers that are driven into the rock until they bottom out. The outer skin of the rock will spall and small pieces will splinter off but hardly a victory. Why the difference?

I never knew that basaltic rocks being denser and more compacting the terrains caused the ocean filled lowlands.

I’m rewatching the rocks and minerals. Thanks!

Great videos bro! Your geology knowledge is impressive

Always excellent information! Thanks for this!

Great samples! Great camera! 💯

Really informative video and fun to watch. Your enthusiasm really shines through. I'm looking into basalt enhanced weathering for carbon removal as a potential PhD topic and this gives me a greater appreciation for just how much diversity there is here!

I absolutly love your videos, thank you for creating this content! I have been binging your videos for days, I can't get enough. One small, tip, request, call it what you will :) It is important to give the viewer time to see the subject of the video without moving it. You are great at transfering your knoweldge and enthusisim. However, often in you videos, field trips included, as soon as my eye starts to focus on a detail it is moved or gone. Either via camera movement, or in this video, zoom or hand movement. One other note, I think some of the field videos suffer from flicker caused from the frame rate being too high when it was recorded, this can be remdied using neutral density filters or by other means. The human brain is strange, it actually likes a bit of motion blur. Just something to look into, it is well documented. I'm certainly not an expert, but had the same look when I started playing with drones. Something else to think about for your content maybe😅 Regardless, thank you again, As long as your are creating content I wil be watching.

Great video thank you

@shawnwillsey

11 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Looks like you are showing us the Rosetta stone. 😄

Do you have any interest in some Amygdaloidal Basalt from the Wolverine Mine, Keweenaw County, Michigan? It's the top of the Kearsarge Flow of the Portage Lake Volcanics. I collected some last month. Basalt is cool, lol. I dig it too.

That was great. Gives me some ideas of what I could be looking at here in Missouri.

I didn't know basalt was real until today. I thought it was just a video game material Oh boy did I learn alot. I love basalt

Great video thanks, have you ever looked into paramagnetic basalt rock, it's very good for your soil as it energises the minerals if sprinkled on top, it works with the magnetic forces of the earth.

Cool it probably floats very neat

After that description of the volcanic bomb, I don't think I'll ever look at a bowel movement the same. ;-) Great video btw and one I needed.

I sure do miss your class!!!!

You're a fantastic teacher.

Would pele’s hair be a special case of a reticulite?

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Yes, they form together. I couldn't find my samples of Pele's hair or I would have included it as well.

Thank you so much for this! I know I will refer to it often as I have so much basalt in my "backyard" on the Columbia Plateau. Living near Wenatchee at the edge of the CRB, with other basalts of older vintage coming from the Eocene potentially in the same vicinity, I was wondering what specific test can be made on basalts to determine their age and origin? I am specifically wondering about basalts I can see ringing part of Wenatchee Heights like plums in a plum pudding, and all at pretty much the same elevation, but quite a lower elevation than the CRB of Jumpoff Ridge and Mission Ridge nearby to the south. The base of Wenatchee Heights is pretty much all Eocene sandstone but then there are these resistant rounded remnants of basalt that I described poking out towards the top.

@Quarterborefan

Жыл бұрын

You should look into professor Nick Zentner of CWU. He has a literal flood of videos on the geology of your area

Thanks!

Reticulite foam is an amazing rock. I still have a sample of reticulite I took from the big island in 1993. So far I haven't incurred the rath of Pele for removing some of her essence. LOL! One term I'd like to add here is what is called "spatter". Basaltic bombs may be somewhat pliable when they're ejected into the air and they can congeal on impact into a crudely welded deposit named spatter. Spatter can even move on the ground for short distances as a "rootless" lava flow until it cools enough to freeze in place. Good job on this video! I enjoyed it.

I have an Aunt in Idaho who has been there most her life. I love Basalt with a passion. I have been in Australia for the last 20 years. I live in Victoria of which the entire state used to be many millions of years ago a flood plane of Volcanoes which is why we have so much Basalt. Does anyone know why the word salt is in this type of rock or what it has to do with volcanoes. I understand how Basalt is made from volcanoes🌋but I do not understand why the word salt is part of it. It sure would be great if maybe someone knew this. This was the best video I’ve ever seen that I’ve always wanted to see my whole life about Basalt. We have a lot of bluestone in Victoria to which apparently is 10 times harder than concrete but I don’t know. I also don’t know what is harder between granite or bluestone in Victoria Australia. I think definitely granite but bluestone is really tough stuff too. Thank you for making this video.

I am a new subscriber. Thank you for the content

@shawnwillsey

26 күн бұрын

Welcome! Hope you enjoy

Shawn, your presentation is very intriguing and quite informative. Before your video I knew almost nothing about basalt and now I find myself enthralled and wanting to learn more. In short your teaching skills are great. On a negative note and please don’t take this personally, it is my hope your comment about the gender of a rock is somewhat off-putting. I understand we live in a tense and sensitive woke period and it is sad that academia is drawn into the quagmire.

Dr Sean - yay basalt! 🎉 loved meeting your lava basalt babies! Sooo cool! On that note, I have a serious 'parenting' question. my basalt babies, specimens collected from different locations in California are among my favorite rock children. I've taken care of my many-vessicled samples for years without any special treatment. But recently, they were exposed to some high humidity and developed annoying rust crust 😟 😢😮 Is there any safe way to remove this, restore their lovely gray/black colors and coat to prevent future oxidation? Any advice, learnings or links would be so appreciated. Thank you for all your excellent content - i'm learning so much from all your videos. Always enjoy the field trips and btw 👍 on Random Roadcuts - fun! And, lol, regretting not pursuing geology as my major in college but am happy to study with your channe. Thank you Dr! 😊

@shawnwillsey

8 ай бұрын

How fun you have a batch of your own! BTW, I have a Masters degree not a PhD so not a Dr. It sounds like your basalt babies are suffering from the humidity of your area and are oxidizing. The only way to get the color back would be to cut or break off the exposed surface and reveal the beautiful fresh surface (but then the process may start again). Glad you enjoy the videos and geology makes a great hobby or career. Win-win.

This is incredible, thanks for the excellent video. how recent roughly do you think the cinders are that you showed from near twin that still had the iridescence?

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Good question. I'm not sure. Certainly the arid climate in southern Idaho allows the iridescence to persist longer than a humid climate. Many of the cinders at Craters of the Moon still have strong iridescence so a ballpark number might be 2 to 5 thousands years or longer.

Hmm! Very informative

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Glad you think so!

Excellent🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉

Nice, I can’t believe you are talking about basalt rocks and not mention , Nan Madol . 😂😂 yeah the basalt here looks nothing like that . Thanks, Cool. 👍🏼

Cheers

Where I live in Johannesburg South Africa there are so many fine grained basalt rocks everywhere, sizes say from a football to a small car. They have been well rounded, like they have been subjected to some water flow, like rocks get rounded in a river, and all are brown coated. Mystery.

21:00 I call it Lava Foam. Or Lava Froth!

Headed to Chile in March to visit my sister in Santiago. We'll be hiking and looking at volcanic rocks at the base of the Andes. Volcanic rock porn ! Txs for the class.

The Reticulite might be a good tool to generate the hydrogen, thanks

Thank you for another great video. You make beautiful rock babies, congrats. Thank you for showing us an ultra-mafic. While what I have found may not be an ultra-mafic, I am unsatisfied with most answers that have been suggested. I would love to have you take a look, perhaps I could email you?

@shawnwillsey

Жыл бұрын

Got your email. I'll respond in the next few days and take a swing at it.

I've often wondered why several different horizontal layers of lave erode to form vertical columns. Also, wondered what gases form the bubbles, is it water (steam) or CO2 from heated limestone, or something else?

Were you concerned about damaging the temper of your rock hammer by dipping it in hot lava? Where it's thinnest at the tip it would heat quickly.

I live on the Metacoma mountain range In Massachusetts it's is some of the oldest basalt in America if my research is correct

En el minuto 18:23 ese es un meteorito, tienes una obra de arte.👌

@shawnwillsey

9 ай бұрын

None of these samples were meteorites.

Thank you for the series. Please, focus on focusing and use an external mic.

Come to the volcanic state of New Mexico Shawn. More volcanism than you can shake a stick at. No kidding either. I live next to the dormant Potrillo Volcanic Field with its varieties of volcanism, but some of its basalt has xenoliths of peridotite in it. Around Kilbourne Hole is where you find it, I'm sure you've heard of it, not sure if you'd call it ultra-mafic. Small shield volcano called Aden Crater has some dark basalt there as well. They dated it around 15,000 years since its crater had a lava lake in it. Then the Valles Caldera, second largest in US, it is miles of welded tuff as it was mostly rhyolite. Zuni Banderas lava flow about 3000 years old and Carrizozo about 5000 years ago, it is a 50 miles long lava flow from one cinder cone over about a 30 year eruption. Under Socorro is a 1300 square mile magma chamber, but it is thin in many places, but half our earthquakes come from it. The Rio Grande Rift and Jemez Lineament really did a number on this state. You have the beginning of the Rocky Mountains here too.

Any idea how the ancient Warangal Thousand Pillar Temple black glass like pillar was shaped and cut centuries ago?

I remember dates without writing them down; I still write down dates.

I find large chunks of basalt and granite in my backyard. I'm next to a "pothole lake" that was created by a glacier. About 4 feet down, there are layers of river rocks and sand... The soil is very fine and has about 50% rocks in it. I can't tell if it's an ancient river or backwash from a glacier (or other). Just wondering if a wandering knowledgeable person might have insight.

Thanks Shawn. Have seen the Siletzia pillow lavas of the Blue Mountain group in the eastern portion of the Olympics. My Dad had a dark rock with what I thought were fossil grasses, but now realize it porphyritic basalt!LOL Thanks

😂Cool you made a rock

Shawn, the peridotite - is it called that purely based on whole rock composition (olivine content) since by texture, it LOOKS like a porphyritic (olivine) basalt with secondary vesicles? Just having a discussion with my husband who has a PhD on peridotites - but v different mantle rocks - highly serpentinised olivines from the Lizard ophiolite, Cornwall! He is totally envious as hasn’t seen a fresh olivine (doubt they exist in UK!)

🙏

❤❤

Question: do the olivine crystals migrate in their crystallized form from the magma chamber?

❤