Felsite

Hornfels

Felsite and Hornfels

Felsite

Hornfels

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Definition

Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

History

Origin

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From English feldspar and -ite

From German which means hornstone

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Granular, Platy

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Mirror, Jewelry

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Igneous rock

Biotite hornfels

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Andalusite

Compound Content

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

Fe, Mg

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.52-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Shiny

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²5.80 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.73.4-3.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm³0.25-0.30 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

Kenya

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Felsite and Hornfels Properties

Know all about Felsite and Hornfels properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Felsite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Hornfels belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Felsite is Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous whereas that of Hornfels is Granular, Platy. Felsite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Hornfels appears Dull. The luster of Felsite is vitreous while that of Hornfels is shiny. Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. The commercial uses of Felsite are mirror, jewelry and that of Hornfels are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork.