Basalt is a naturally occurring  siliceous refractory product. It was formed many, many years ago - and is still being formed in lava flows from volcanic eruptions - under the natural geological forces of heat and pressure. Modern refractory production is largely a replication of this process of forming naturally-occurring (or synthetic)  non-metallic mineral oxides (and some non-oxides like carbides or nitrides) under the bonding conditions of high heat and pressure. Of course with technological progress, alternative bonding techniques, such as with chemicals, cements, resins, etc. have also developed.

Because refractory products are so resistant to heat, erosion and corrosion, they are typically used in any process involving heat and corrosion such as in kilns and furnaces. According to the main chemical component, i.e. fire clay, or magnesia, or zirconia, etc. they are commonly known as alumino-silicate or acid refractories, basic refractories, and neutral refractory products.

In physical characteristics, refractories typically have relatively high bulk density, high softening point (or Pyrometric Cone Equivalent), high crushing strength. They are produced as standard bricks, or as shapes (including hollow-wares) or as granular or unshaped or monolithic products.

The principal applications of refractories are in iron and steel industries, cement, glass, non-ferrous metals, petro-chemicals and fertiliser industry, chemicals, ceramics and even thermal power stations and incinerators.

The development and application of refractories for various industries, testing procedures of properties and so on are covered in the English language, by a number of well-known technical journals, such as The Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society, Taikubutsu Overseas, Interceram, Ceramic News, Refractories Applications, IRMA Journal, Transaction of the Indian Ceramic Society, Metal News, etc.

Milestones in refractories development in India
1874 Fire clay Bricks
1941 Magnesite Bricks
1949 Coke Oven Silica Bricks
1955 Sillimanite Blocks for Glass Industries
1960 Bauxite based High Alumina Bricks for Steel & Cement Industries
1960 Mullite Bricks for Glass Industries
1969 High Grog Fire clay Bricks for Steel Ladles
1977 AZS Electrocast Blocks
1983 Magnesia Carbon Refractories
1983 Magnesia Slide Gate Plates
1984 High Alumina Slide Gate Plates
1985 Low Cement Castables/Monolithics
1985 Ceramic Fibres
1985 High Alumina Bauxite based Ladle Refractories
1986 BRN 62 Blast Furnace Hearth Blocks
1986 Bubble Alumina based Insulating Blocks
1988 Dense Silica Shapes for Tall Coke Ovens
1990 Direct Bonded Mag-Chrome Bricks
1990 Unidirectional Gas Purging Elements
1990 Alumina Carbon Torpedo Ladle Bricks
1990 Slide Gate Refractories
1991 Dense Silica Shapes for Blast Furnace Stoves
1993 Alumina Carbon Continuous Casting Refractories
1993 Mullite Bricks for Blast Furnace and Stoves
1993 Dry Basic Ramming Mass for Furnaces
1993 Gunning materials for Converters
1993 Spraying Mass for Tundish
1994 Ultra Low Cement Castables/Monolithics 
1994 Pitch-Bonded Tempered Dolomite Bricks
1994 Cordierite and Silicon Carbide based Kiln Furniture
1995 Spinel based Ladle Monolithic Lining
1995 Alumina Carbon Silicon Carbide Blast Furnace Trough Mass
1998 Magnesia Alumina Zirconia Bricks for Cement Rotary Kilns
1998 Alumina Zirconia Slide Gate and CC Refractories
1998 Pumpable Refractories for Petrochemical Industries

Further reading: 
1. "Handbook on Refractories"; by D.N. Nandi; Published by Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Ltd., N. Delhi, India.
2. "Hand Book of Ceramics" Vol.1 - 4; Edited by S. Kumar; Published by Kumar & Associates, Calcutta, India.
3. "Modern Refractory Practice"; Published by Harbison-Walker Refractories, Pittsburgh, USA.
4. "Refractories Handbook"; Published by The Technical Association of Refractories, Japan.
5. "Pneumatic Steelmaking Vol.3 Refractories"; Edited by Michel A. Rigaud and Richard A. Landy; Published by Iron and Steel Society, Warrendale, USA.
6. "Pocket Manual Refractory Materials"; Edited by Gerald Routschka; Published by Vulkan-Verlag, Essen, Germany.
7. "Refractories Handbook"; Edited by Charles A. Schacht; Published by Schacht Consulting Services, Penn. USA, 2004.
8. "Handbook of Thermoprocessing Technologies"; Edited by Axel von Starck, Alfred Muhlbauer, Carl Kramer; Published by Vulkan-Verlag, Essen, Germany.
9. "Refractories Engineering - Materials - Design - Construction"; Published by Vulkan-Verlag, Essen, Germany.
10. "Monolithic Refractories - A Comprehensive Handbook"; Subrata Banerjee; Published by The American Ceramic Society & World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
11. Technical pre-prints of IREFCON 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002.
12. Technical volumes of UNITECR 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003.