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Gneiss
Gneiss

Basalt
Basalt



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Gneiss vs Basalt

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1 Definition
1.1 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
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth
1.2 History
1.2.1 Origin
Unknown
Egypt
1.2.2 Discoverer
Unknown
Georgius Agricola
1.3 Etymology
From the Middle High German verb gneist (to spark; so called because the rock glitters)
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
1.4 Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
1.4.1 Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
1.5 Family
1.5.1 Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
1.6 Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
2 Texture
2.1 Texture
Banded, Foliated, Platy
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
2.2 Color
Black, Brown, Pink, Red, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
2.3 Maintenance
More
More
2.4 Durability
Durable
Durable
2.4.1 Water Resistant
2.4.2 Scratch Resistant
2.4.3 Stain Resistant
2.4.4 Wind Resistant
2.4.5 Acid Resistant
2.5 Appearance
Foliated
Dull and Soft
3 Uses
3.1 Architecture
3.1.1 Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
3.1.2 Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing, Whetstones
3.2 Industry
3.2.1 Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
3.2.2 Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
3.3 Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments
3.4 Other Uses
3.4.1 Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
4 Types
4.1 Types
Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss.
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
4.2 Features
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
4.3 Archaeological Significance
4.3.1 Monuments
Used
Used
4.3.2 Famous Monuments
Konark Sun Temple in India, Washington Monument, US
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
4.3.3 Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
4.3.4 Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
4.3.5 Pictographs
Not Used
Used
4.3.6 Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
4.3.7 Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
4.4 Fossils
Absent
Absent
5 Formation
5.1 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.
Basalt forms when lava reaches the Earth's surface near an active volcano. The temperature of lava is between 1100 to 1250° C when it gets to the surface.
5.2 Composition
5.2.1 Mineral Content
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
5.2.2 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, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
5.3 Transformation
5.3.1 Metamorphism
5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
5.3.3 Weathering
5.3.4 Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
5.3.5 Erosion
5.3.6 Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion
Not Available
6 Properties
6.1 Physical Properties
6.1.1 Hardness
76
Coal
1 7
6.1.2 Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
6.1.3 Fracture
Irregular
Conchoidal
6.1.4 Streak
White
White to Grey
6.1.5 Porosity
Very Less Porous
Less Porous
6.1.6 Luster
Dull
Not Available
6.1.7 Compressive Strength
125.00 N/mm237.40 N/mm2
Obsidian
0.15 450
6.1.8 Cleavage
Poor
Not Available
6.1.9 Toughness
1.2
2.3
6.1.10 Specific Gravity
2.5-2.72.8-3
Granite
0 8.4
6.1.11 Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
6.1.12 Density
2.6-2.9 g/cm32.9-3.1 g/cm3
Granite
0 1400
6.2 Thermal Properties
6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity
NA0.84 kJ/Kg K
Granulite
0.14 3.2
6.2.2 Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
7 Reserves
7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents
7.1.1 Asia
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia
India, Russia
7.1.2 Africa
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo
South Africa
7.1.3 Europe
Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Iceland
7.1.4 Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
7.2 Deposits in Western Continents
7.2.1 North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
Canada, USA
7.2.2 South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil
7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent
7.3.1 Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria
Not Yet Found

Gneiss vs Basalt 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 Gneiss and Basalt Reserves. 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. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth. 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 Gneiss vs Basalt information and Gneiss vs Basalt characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Gneiss vs Basalt 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. Gneiss vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gneiss and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Gneiss vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Gneiss include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Gneiss and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gneiss in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Gneiss and Basalt

Here you can know more about Gneiss and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gneiss and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gneiss includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon and mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gneiss vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gneiss is available in black, brown, pink, red, white colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Gneiss is Foliated and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gneiss vs Basalt. The hardness of Gneiss is 7 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Gneiss are Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss. whereas types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gneiss is white while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Gneiss is Not Available and that of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gneiss is heat resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.