Gabbro

Tonalite

Gabbro vs Tonalite

Gabbro

Tonalite

Add ⊕

Definition

Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture

History

Origin

Germany

Tonale, Italy

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Warren Hamilton

Etymology

From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

From Tonale Pass, northern Italy, + -ite1

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Color

Dark Grey to Black

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Veined and Shiny

Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Types

Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Dacite

Features

Smooth to touch

Is one of the oldest rock, Typically speckled black and white.

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

When alkali feldspar is extracted from granite, it changes to granitoid and later, it becomes tonalite with quartz as major mineral.

Composition

Mineral Content

Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

NaCl, CaO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion

Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

76-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

Bluish Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²185.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.6

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.86-3

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³2.73 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Egypt

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia

Gabbro vs Tonalite 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 Gabbro and Tonalite Reserves. Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt. Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture. 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 Gabbro vs Tonalite information and Gabbro vs Tonalite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks » More

Gabbro vs Porphyry

Gabbro vs Kimberlite

Gabbro vs Pegmatite

» More Compare Igneous Rocks

Gabbro vs Tonalite 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 Tonalite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gabbro and Properties of Tonalite. Learn more about Gabbro vs Tonalite in the next section. The interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Tonalite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gabbro and Tonalite, 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 Tonalite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Gabbro and Tonalite

Here you can know more about Gabbro and Tonalite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gabbro and Tonalite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Tonalite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Gabbro vs Tonalite, 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, Tonalite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny and that of Tonalite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gabbro vs Tonalite. The hardness of Gabbro is 7 and that of Tonalite is 6-7. The types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro whereas types of Tonalite are Dacite. 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 Tonalite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Gabbro is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Tonalite 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.Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Tonalite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.