Definition
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt
Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel
Discoverer
Christian Leopold von Buch
Unknown
Etymology
From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald
From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Phaneritic
Banded, Rough
Color
Dark Grey to Black
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Veined and Shiny
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, 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, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms
Types
Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro
Chert and Jasper
Features
Smooth to touch
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.
Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.
Mineral Content
Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Silicon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.5-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.7-3.3 g/cm3
2.7-2.71 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
Azerbaijan, China, Russia
Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Bolivia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
New Zealand, South Australia
Gabbro vs Flint 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. Gabbro vs Flint characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gabbro and Properties of Flint. Learn more about Gabbro vs Flint in the next section. The interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Flint include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gabbro and Flint, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gabbro in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Flint include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Spear points.
More about Gabbro and Flint
Here you can know more about Gabbro and Flint. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gabbro and Flint consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Flint includes Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Gabbro vs Flint, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors whereas, Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny and that of Flint is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gabbro vs Flint. Hardness of Gabbro and Flint is 7. The types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro whereas types of Flint are Chert and Jasper. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gabbro is black while that of Flint is white. The specific heat capacity of Gabbro is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Flint is 0.74 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Flint is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.