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Amphibolite
Amphibolite

Gabbro
Gabbro



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Amphibolite
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Gabbro

Amphibolite vs Gabbro

Definition

Definition

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

History

Origin

-
Germany

Discoverer

Alexandre Brongniart
Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

From Amphibole + -ite
From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Banded, Foliated, Massive
Phaneritic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey
Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Foliated
Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

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, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Types

Hornblendite
Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Features

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular to Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey
Black

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull
-

Compressive Strength

90.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

2.3
1.6

Specific Gravity

2.52.86-2.87
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.85-3.07 g/cm32.7-3.3 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia, Turkey
India, Russia

Africa

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

Europe

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

-
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

South Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, Queensland

Amphibolite vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro Reserves. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt. 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 Gabbro information and Amphibolite vs Gabbro characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Amphibolite vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Amphibolite and Properties of Gabbro. Learn more about Amphibolite vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Amphibolite and Gabbro, 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 Gabbro include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Amphibolite and Gabbro

Here you can know more about Amphibolite and Gabbro. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Amphibolite and Gabbro 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 Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Amphibolite vs Gabbro, 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, Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Amphibolite is Foliated and that of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Amphibolite vs Gabbro. The hardness of Amphibolite is 6-7 and that of Gabbro is 7. The types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite whereas types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro. 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 Gabbro is black. The specific heat capacity of Amphibolite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Gabbro is 0.71 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 Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.