Felsite

Rhyolite

Felsite vs Rhyolite

Felsite

Rhyolite

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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

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

History

Origin

North America

Discoverer

Unknown

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Etymology

From English feldspar and -ite

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Color

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

Grey, White, Light Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Mirror, Jewelry

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

Types

Igneous rock

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

Features

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

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

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.

Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

Composition

Mineral Content

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.56-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Sub-conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Earthy

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²140.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.65-2.67

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm³2.4-2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

China, India

Africa

Kenya

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Felsite vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite 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. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. 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 Rhyolite information and Felsite vs Rhyolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Felsite vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Felsite and Properties of Rhyolite. Learn more about Felsite vs Rhyolite in the next section. The interior uses of Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Felsite and Rhyolite, 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 Rhyolite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives.

More about Felsite and Rhyolite

Here you can know more about Felsite and Rhyolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Felsite and Rhyolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides and mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Felsite vs Rhyolite, 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, Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. Appearance of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Rhyolite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Felsite vs Rhyolite. The hardness of Felsite is 5-5.5 and that of Rhyolite is 6-7. The types of Felsite are Igneous rock whereas types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.. 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 Rhyolite is . The specific heat capacity of Felsite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhyolite is 0.71 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 Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.