Basalt

Imagine being deep, deep inside the Earth, where everything is warm and gooey like melted candy. It’s dark and cozy, but then you start to feel a rumble. The ground shakes and pushes you up, up, up. Suddenly, with a giant ROAR, you burst out of a volcano as fiery, red-hot lava. I flow across the land in a glowing river until I meet the cool air or the chilly sea. Whoosh. I cool down so fast that I turn into a dark, strong, and heavy rock. Sometimes, as I cool, I form tall, six-sided columns that look like giant pencils sticking out of the ground. I am not just any rock. I am Basalt, a rock born from fire.

For thousands of years, people have known how special I am. Long before there were skyscrapers, people discovered my strength. In ancient Egypt, around the year 3000 BCE, people used me to make smooth, dark paving stones inside their amazing temples. Later, the clever Romans used me to build roads that were so tough and sturdy, you can still walk on some of them today. On a faraway island called Rapa Nui, people used me for something incredible between the years 1250 and 1500. They carved giant stone heads called Moai. To carve the big statues, they needed very strong tools, so they used extra-hard pieces of me to chip away at the stone. I was also used to build parts of ancient temples in India and other amazing buildings all over the world because everyone knew I could be trusted to last for a very, very long time.

My work isn't over yet. Today, people still need my strength. They crush me into small pieces to make concrete for sidewalks, big buildings, and tall bridges. I might even be in your house. I am sometimes polished to become shiny kitchen counters or smooth floor tiles. You can also visit incredible places that I made myself. In Northern Ireland, there is a place called the Giant's Causeway that I formed about 60 million years ago, with thousands of my columns marching right into the sea. I also make up the beautiful black sand beaches in places like Hawaii. From the heart of a volcano to the foundation of your school, I am a piece of the Earth's amazing power, helping you build a strong and wonderful world.