Flint

Obsidian

Flint vs Obsidian

Flint

Obsidian

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Definition

Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel

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

Ethiopia

Discoverer

Unknown

Obsius

Etymology

From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck

From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded, Rough

Glassy

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Glassy or Pearly

Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Jewellery

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

Chert and Jasper

Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.

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

Silicon

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

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75-5.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

450.00 N/mm²0.15 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.82.6-2.7

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Translucent

Density

2.7-2.71 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.74 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Azerbaijan, China, Russia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

Kenya

Europe

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Bolivia

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, South Australia

New Zealand

Flint vs Obsidian 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 Flint and Obsidian Reserves. Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel. 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. 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 Flint vs Obsidian information and Flint vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Flint and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Flint and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Flint and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Flint includes Silicon and mineral content of Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Flint vs Obsidian, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors whereas, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Flint is Glassy or Pearly and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Flint vs Obsidian. The hardness of Flint is 7 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Flint are Chert and Jasper whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Flint and Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Flint is 0.74 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Flint is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.