Deep-ocean pillow basalt
Part of Hall of Planet Earth.
Visiting the Halls of Gems and Minerals? All visitors are required to join a virtual line once onsite.
Part of Hall of Planet Earth.
This sample was dredged from a seafloor spreading center near Japan. The shiny black surface is glass, a product of rapid cooling of lava underwater. The white crystals in the glassy crust are plagioclase, a common mineral in most rocks.
Loaned by the Geological Survey of Japan