Shock equation of state of basalt

Detailed wave profiles for Kinosaki basalt at pressures up to 25 GPa are measured using a laser velocity interferometer in order to determine the dynamic properties. The results indicate a Hugoniot elastic limit of ∼2 GPa and a relationship between shock velocity ( U s ) and particle velocity ( U p ) approximated by U s (km/s) = 3.5 + 1.3 U p (km/s) in the low-pressure plastic region ( U p below ∼4 km/s). These data are compared with the known data for rocks with basaltic compositions, and tensile strength of the basaltic rocks was found to be about one tenth of that of compression strength.