Definition
Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Banded, Rough
Vesicular
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Beige, Colourless, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Glassy or Pearly
Vesicular
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing, Powder
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums
Types
Not Available
Scoria
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Formation
Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.
Mineral Content
Silicon
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica
Compound Content
Silicon Dioxide
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Planar
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Perfect
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.8
2.86
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.7-2.71 g/cm3
0.25-0.3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Azerbaijan, China, Russia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Africa
Not Yet Found
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
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
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA
South America
Bolivia
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, South Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
Flint vs Pumice 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 Pumice characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Flint and Properties of Pumice. Learn more about Flint vs Pumice in the next section. The interior uses of Flint include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Flint and Pumice, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Flint in construction industry include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Spear points and that of Pumice include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks.
More about Flint and Pumice
Here you can know more about Flint and Pumice. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Flint and Pumice consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Flint includes Silicon and mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Flint vs Pumice, 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, Pumice is available in beige, colourless, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors. Appearance of Flint is Glassy or Pearly and that of Pumice is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Flint vs Pumice. The hardness of Flint is 7 and that of Pumice is 6. The types of Flint are Not Available whereas types of Pumice are Scoria. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Flint is white while that of Pumice is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Flint is 0.74 kJ/Kg K and that of Pumice is 0.87 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 Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant.