Basalt, the most widely distributed alumino-silicate volcanic rock on Earth, is commonly utilized in construction aggregate area. The challenge lies in how to utilize the tailings produced during mining processes to create high-value products through energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly means. A previous study has already shown the use of basalt tail powder as raw material for lightweight geopolymer materials supported microwave curing, without an extensive focus on mechanical properties, in turn known to be significantly affected by the reactivity of constituents. Here, calcination operations are discussed in their impact on the activity of basalt for lightweight geopolymer from microwave curing. Additionally, the thermal characteristics of basalt during temperature were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses were employed to examine the micromorphology, chemical structure, phase compositions, and reaction degree of basalt and its alkali activated products. The results prove that basalt is a sustainable raw material for geopolymers, with properties already optimized without calcination, in turn determining a slight increase only at 750 °C (resulting in compressive strength >7 MPa, with a porosity of 30 %). The effect mechanism of calcination temperature on the activity of basalt tailings for the lightweight geopolymer from microwave curing is also discussed.