Basalt is a hard, dark rock, green-black to black when it is fresh, that comes from lava. When volcanoes pour out runny lava, it often cools into basalt. A huge amount of the ocean floor is made of it; so are places like Hawaii and many old lava fields.

Basalt is a hard, dark rock玄武岩是一種堅硬、深色的岩石，green-black to black when it is fresh新鮮的時候是墨綠黑到黑色，that comes from lava是從熔岩來的。When volcanoes pour out runny lava當火山噴出流動性高的熔岩時，it often cools into basalt它常常冷卻後就變成玄武岩。A huge amount of the ocean floor is made of it大量的海底都是由它組成的；so are places like Hawaii and many old lava fields夏威夷和許多古老的熔岩地也是。

Up close it looks fine-grained, not sparkly like granite. In the weather it can turn brown or grey on the outside, so a road-cut may look dull until you break a piece and see the dark inside.

Up close靠近看的話 it looks fine-grained它看起來質地細緻，not sparkly like granite不像花崗岩那樣閃亮。In the weather在風吹雨淋之下 it can turn brown or grey on the outside外表可能會變成褐色或灰色，so a road-cut may look dull until you break a piece and see the dark inside所以路邊開挖的斷面可能看起來很暗淡，直到你敲開一塊才看到裡面的深色。

People use it for paving and building because it is tough. It is a science-class and geography word, not a kitchen word.

Because it is tough因為它很堅固，people use it for paving and building人們用它來鋪路和蓋房子。It is a science-class and geography word它是理科課堂和地理課的用字，not a kitchen word不是廚房裡會用的字。

The spelling -salt is an accident of an old Latin name; it has nothing to do with table salt. The old story of the name, if you want it, is a bit crooked: Late Latin wrote basaltes, which was a misspelling of Latin basanites, from a Greek word for a touchstone, and that Greek word probably came from an Egyptian name for a hard stone.

The spelling -salt is an accident of an old Latin name拼法裡的-salt是一個古拉丁文名字造成的意外；it has nothing to do with table salt跟餐桌上的鹽完全沒有關係。The old story of the name, if you want it這個名字的老故事，如果你想聽的話，is a bit crooked有點曲折：Late Latin wrote basaltes晚期拉丁文寫成basaltes，which was a misspelling of Latin basanites這其實是拉丁文basanites的拼錯版本，from a Greek word for a touchstone而basanites來自一個意思是「試金石」的希臘字，and that Greek word probably came from an Egyptian name for a hard stone而這個希臘字可能又來自一個埃及語裡指堅硬石頭的名字。