Home
Compare Rocks


Felsite vs Hornfels


Hornfels vs Felsite


Definition

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
Unknown   
New Zealand   

Discoverer
Unknown   
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   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous   
Granular, Platy   

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow   
Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

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   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points   
for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Surgery   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts, Monuments   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Mirror, Jewelry   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Not Available   
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
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

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
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5-5.5   
2-3   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
Unknown   

Porosity
Very Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Vitreous   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
0.15 N/mm2   
33
5.80 N/mm2   
31

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Perfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Yet Found   

Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7   
3.4-3.9   

Transparency
Translucent   
Opaque   

Density
2.6 g/cm3   
0.25-0.30 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

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
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

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   

Definition >>
<< All

Felsite vs Hornfels 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 Felsite and Hornfels Reserves. 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. 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 Felsite vs Hornfels information and Felsite vs Hornfels characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Felsite vs Hornfels 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. Felsite vs Hornfels characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Felsite and Properties of Hornfels. Learn more about Felsite vs Hornfels in the next section. The interior uses of Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Felsite and Hornfels, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Felsite in construction industry include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points and that of Hornfels include For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Felsite and Hornfels

Here you can know more about Felsite and Hornfels. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Felsite and Hornfels consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides and mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Felsite vs Hornfels, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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. Appearance of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Hornfels is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Felsite vs Hornfels. The hardness of Felsite is 5-5.5 and that of Hornfels is 2-3. The types of Felsite are Not Available whereas types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Felsite is white while that of Hornfels is unknown. The specific heat capacity of Felsite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Felsite is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks