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Coquina and Obsidian


Obsidian and Coquina


Definition

Definition
Coquina is a sedimentary rock that is composed either wholly or almost entirely of the transported, abraded, and mechanically-sorted fragments of the shells of molluscs, trilobites, brachiopods, or other invertebrates   
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth   

History
  
  

Origin
European Foreland Basins   
Ethiopia   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Obsius   

Etymology
From Concha (Latin)+ Coquina(Spanish) +conch(English)= Couquina (mid 19th century)   
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Glassy   

Color
Beige, Buff, Orange   
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow   

Maintenance
More   
Less   

Durability
Non-Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   
Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   
Garden Decoration   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate   
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Surgery   

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork   
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock   
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Coquina is a sedimentary rock which is formed when billions of small clam-like seashell, called Coquina, or cockleshell are die and hence are deposited, buried and turns into a rock when pressure is applied.   
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Apatite, Augite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Clay Minerals, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Micas, Muscovite or Illite   
Not Available   

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO   
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, Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-2   
5-5.5   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Not Applicable   

Fracture
Irregular   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Very Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Vitreous   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
0.15 N/mm2   
33

Cleavage
Not Available   
Non-Existent   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
1.10-2.24   
2.6-2.7   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent   

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   
2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Not Yet Found   
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia   

Africa
Not Yet Found   
Kenya   

Europe
United Kingdom   
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, Mexico, USA   

South America
Not Yet Found   
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
New Zealand   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Coquina and Obsidian Properties

Know all about Coquina and Obsidian properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coquina belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Obsidian belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Coquina is Clastic whereas that of Obsidian is Glassy. Coquina appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Obsidian appears Shiny. The luster of Coquina is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Obsidian is vitreous. Coquina is available in beige, buff, orange colors whereas Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Coquina are creating artwork and that of Obsidian are creating artwork, mirror, used in aquariums.

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