Gneiss

Quartzite

Gneiss and Quartzite

Gneiss

Quartzite

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Definition

Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From the Middle High German verb gneist (to spark; so called because the rock glitters)

From quartz + -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded, Foliated, Platy

Foliated, Granular

Color

Black, Brown, Pink, Red, White

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Light Grey, Purple, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Foliated

Lustrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Types

Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss.

Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Konark Sun Temple in India, Washington Monument, US

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock i.e. it has been subjected to higher temperatures and pressures than schist. It is formed by the metamorphosis of Gneiss forms from volcanic rock, shale or granitie.

Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon

Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

76-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Medium Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

125.00 N/mm²115.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Indiscernible

Toughness

1.2

1.9

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.72.6-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Transparent to Translucent

Density

2.6-2.9 g/cm³2.32-2.42 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.75 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia

China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Europe

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom

England, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA

Bahamas, Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Gneiss and Quartzite Properties

Know all about Gneiss and Quartzite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gneiss and Quartzite belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Gneiss is Banded, Foliated, Platy whereas that of Quartzite is Foliated, Granular. Gneiss appears Foliated and Quartzite appears Lustrous. The luster of Gneiss is dull while that of Quartzite is vitreous. Gneiss is available in black, brown, pink, red, white colors whereas Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Gneiss are cemetery markers, jewelry, tombstones, used in aquariums and that of Quartzite are an oil and gas reservoir, as armour rock for sea walls, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, in aquifers, laboratory bench tops, petroleum reservoirs, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones, used in aquariums.