Amphibolite

Anorthosite

Amphibolite vs Anorthosite

Amphibolite

Anorthosite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Alexandre Brongniart

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From Amphibole + -ite

From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Foliated, Glassy

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Foliated

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Creating Artwork, Curling

4 Types

4.1 Types

Hornblendite

Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite

4.2 Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-75-6

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular to Conchoidal

Irregular

6.1.4 Streak

White to Grey

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Pearly to Subvitreous

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

NANA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Irregular

6.1.9 Toughness

2.3

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.52.62-2.82

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent

6.1.12 Density

2.85-3.07 g/cm³2.7-4 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NA0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Russia, Turkey

Not Yet Found

7.1.2 Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Not Yet Found

7.1.3 Europe

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

Canada

7.2.2 South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Colombia

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

South Australia, Western Australia

Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia

Amphibolite vs Anorthosite 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 Amphibolite and Anorthosite Reserves. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. 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 Amphibolite vs Anorthosite information and Amphibolite vs Anorthosite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Amphibolite vs Anorthosite 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. Amphibolite vs Anorthosite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Amphibolite and Properties of Anorthosite. Learn more about Amphibolite vs Anorthosite in the next section. The interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Anorthosite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Amphibolite and Anorthosite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Amphibolite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone and that of Anorthosite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate.

More about Amphibolite and Anorthosite

Here you can know more about Amphibolite and Anorthosite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Amphibolite and Anorthosite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite and mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Amphibolite vs Anorthosite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors whereas, Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Amphibolite is Foliated and that of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Amphibolite vs Anorthosite. The hardness of Amphibolite is 6-7 and that of Anorthosite is 5-6. The types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite whereas types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Amphibolite is white to grey while that of Anorthosite is white. The specific heat capacity of Amphibolite is Not Available and that of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant.