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Anorthosite vs Granulite


Granulite vs Anorthosite


Definition

Definition
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase  
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Central Europe  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1  
From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic  
-  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Glassy  
Granoblastic  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  
Veined or Pebbled  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Curling  
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones  

Types

Types
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite  
Metamorphic rock  

Features
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  
Clasts are smooth to touch  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
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.   
Granulite is a fine-grained granular metamorphic rock in which the main component minerals are feldspars and quartz and forms at high temperature and pressure conditions.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene  
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5-6  
6-7  

Grain Size
Coarse Grained  
Medium to Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Irregular  
-  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Pearly to Subvitreous  
Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
180.00 N/mm2  
18
175.00 N/mm2  
20

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.62-2.82  
2.8-3.0  

Transparency
Translucent  
Opaque  

Density
2.7-4 g/cm3  
3.06-3.33 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.14 kJ/Kg K  
33

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
-  
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic  
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada  
Canada, USA  

South America
Bolivia, Colombia  
-  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia  
-  

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Anorthosite vs Granulite 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 Anorthosite and Granulite Reserves. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.. 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 Anorthosite vs Granulite information and Anorthosite vs Granulite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Anorthosite and Granulite

Here you can know more about Anorthosite and Granulite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Anorthosite and Granulite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene and mineral content of Granulite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Anorthosite vs Granulite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors whereas, Granulite is available in black, brown colors. Appearance of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Anorthosite vs Granulite. The hardness of Anorthosite is 5-6 and that of Granulite is 6-7. The types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite whereas types of Granulite are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Anorthosite and Granulite is white. The specific heat capacity of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Granulite is 0.14 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant whereas Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant.

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