Definition
Charnockite is a variety of granite containing minerals like orthopyroxene, quartz, and feldspar
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone
Origin
Tamil Nadu, India
Pennines, England
Discoverer
T. H. Holland
J.J. Ferber
Etymology
From Job Charnock, an administtrator of East India Company
From Grit + Stone
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Layered and Foliated
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Resorts
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones
Types
Enderbite
Sedimentary rock
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Charnockite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard and is formed due to weathering of existing rocks.
Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
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Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
-9999
2.250
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6 g/cm3
2.2 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Africa
East Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Albania, Romania, Scotland, United Kingdom
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
Charnockite vs Gritstone 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. Charnockite vs Gritstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Charnockite and Properties of Gritstone. Learn more about Charnockite vs Gritstone in the next section. The interior uses of Charnockite include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Charnockite and Gritstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Charnockite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Gritstone include Construction aggregate, Roadstone.
More about Charnockite and Gritstone
Here you can know more about Charnockite and Gritstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Charnockite and Gritstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Charnockite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Charnockite vs Gritstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Charnockite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Charnockite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Charnockite vs Gritstone. Hardness of Charnockite and Gritstone is 6-7. The types of Charnockite are Enderbite whereas types of Gritstone are Sedimentary rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Charnockite and Gritstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Charnockite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Charnockite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Gritstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.