Most diabase that is mined is used in the construction industry. There are several types of use: 1) Crushed Stone: Diabase is one of many types of “trap rock” used as crushed stone in the construction industry. These are durable rocks that have many uses. For most of these uses, the aggregate must meet certain specifications of abrasion…

The formation of diabase has two requirements:     1) a basaltic magma source     2) shallow emplacement and cooling in a relatively small subsurface structure such as a sill, dike, lopolith or laccolith.

The fine-grained texture of diabase makes identification in the field or in a classroom a difficult undertaking. The observer must have enough skill to view the physical properties of tiny mineral grains, and enough knowledge to identify the minerals. Getting a confident identification in these locations can be difficult. Diabase is best identified in thin…

Some igneous rocks have a complex cooling history that results in them containing grains of distinctly different crystal sizes. These rocks, with large crystals (known as “phenocrysts”) suspended in a matrix of fine crystals (known as “groundmass”), often have a cooling history similar to the following description: The parent magma of the rock began cooling…

Diabase typically has a mineral composition that is dominated by the plagioclase feldspar known as labradorite (approximately 40% to 70% of the rock). Most of the remainder is made up of pyroxene minerals (usually augite). Minor amounts of hornblende, olivine, magnetite, and quartz can be found in some diabase rocks. Although the mineral species present in diabase often have perfect cleavage, when they are present in tiny interlocking grains,…

Stonehenge is one of the most famous stone structures ever made by humans. Stones of the monument’s inner circle are made of diabase. They were transported about 240 miles from Wales to the monument site in England in about 2100 BC. What is Diabase? In the United States and Canada, the name “diabase” is used for…