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Chert vs Granite


Granite vs Chert


Definition

Definition
Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture   
Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone   

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use   
From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Banded, Rough   
Granular, Phaneritic   

Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White   
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Glassy or Pearly   
Veined or Pebbled   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points   
As Dimension Stone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments   
Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms   
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones, Used in aquariums   

Types

Types
Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter   
Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite   

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
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   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
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   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

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

Composition
  
  

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6.5-7   
6-7   

Grain Size
Very fine-grained   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal   
Not Available   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Waxy and Dull   
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous   

Compressive Strength
450.00 N/mm2   
1
175.00 N/mm2   
13

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Not Available   

Toughness
1.5   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.8   
2.6-2.7   

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.7 g/cm3   
2.65-2.75 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.74 kJ/Kg K   
19
0.79 kJ/Kg K   
16

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam   
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   

Africa
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom   
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela   

Others
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Bolivia, Brazil   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

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Chert vs Granite 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 Chert and Granite Reserves. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone. 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 Chert vs Granite information and Chert vs Granite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Chert and Granite

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

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