Granite

Chert

Granite vs Chert

Granite

Chert

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone

Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum

From flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Plutonic

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Granular, Phaneritic

Banded, Rough

2.2 Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Veined or Pebbled

Glassy or Pearly

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

4 Types

4.1 Types

Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite

Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

4.2 Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Blue Domed Church in Santorini, Greece, Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London, UK, Ephesus in Turkey, Georgia Guidestones in Georgia, US, Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Khajuraho Temples, India, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, India, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Signers Monument in Augusta, Georgia, Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower Bridge in London, Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, US, Washington Monument, US

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Avukana Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka, Lincoln Memorial in America, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US, The Colossal Red Granite Statue of Amenhotep III in Karnak, Egypt

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

Present

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks

Chert forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The chert formation can be either of chemical or biological origin.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Quartz, Silicon

5.2.2 Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Not Applicable

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-7

6.5-7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

Waxy and Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

175.00 N/mm²

Rank: 13 (Overall)▶

450.00 N/mm²

Rank: 1 (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

Non-Existent

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

1.5

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.7

2.5-2.8

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.65-2.75 g/cm³

2.7 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

0.79 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 16 (Overall)▶

0.74 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 19 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela

Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

7.2.2 South America

Not Yet Found

Bolivia, Brazil

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Not Yet Found

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Granite vs Chert Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Granite and Chert Reserves. Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Granite vs Chert information and Granite vs Chert characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Granite vs Chert Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Granite vs Chert characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granite and Properties of Chert. Learn more about Granite vs Chert in the next section. The interior uses of Granite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Chert include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Granite and Chert, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Chert include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Granite and Chert

Here you can know more about Granite and Chert. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granite and Chert consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Chert includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granite vs Chert, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Chert is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Granite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Chert is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granite vs Chert. The hardness of Granite is 6-7 and that of Chert is 6.5-7. The types of Granite are Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite whereas types of Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granite and Chert is white. The specific heat capacity of Granite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Chert is 0.74 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Granite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Chert is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.