Ganister

Obsidian

Ganister and Obsidian

Ganister

Obsidian

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Definition

A ganister is a hard, fine-grained quartzose sandstone or orthoquartzite which is basically used in the manufacture of silica brick typically used to line furnaces and is a type of sedimentary rocks.

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

England

Ethiopia

Discoverer

Unknown

Obsius

Etymology

From gan′is-ter i.e a hard, close-grained siliceous stone, often forming the stratum which underlies a coal-seam

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

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Granular, Rough

Glassy

Color

Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough

Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

Siliceous rock

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

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Ganisters are formed by the destruction of easily weathered minerals mainly feldspar, within the surface horizon of soil by soil-forming processes.

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

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, 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

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-75-5.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse or Fine

Fracture

Splintery

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²0.15 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.6-2.7

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent

Density

2.2-2.8 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Kenya

Europe

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

New Zealand

All about Ganister and Obsidian Properties

Know all about Ganister and Obsidian properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Ganister belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Obsidian belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Ganister is Clastic, Granular, Rough whereas that of Obsidian is Glassy. Ganister appears Rough and Obsidian appears Shiny. The luster of Ganister is dull while that of Obsidian is vitreous. Ganister is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Ganister are an oil and gas reservoir, in aquifers, petroleum reservoirs, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones and that of Obsidian are creating artwork, mirror, used in aquariums.