Gneiss

Rhyolite

Gneiss vs Rhyolite

Gneiss

Rhyolite

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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

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

North America

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

Ferdinand von Richthofen

1.3 Etymology

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

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

Volcanic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Banded, Foliated, Platy

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Pink, Red, White

Grey, White, Light Black

2.3 Maintenance

2.4 Durability

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

Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

4.2 Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Konark Sun Temple in India, Washington Monument, US

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

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.

Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

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

Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

76-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Large and Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular

Sub-conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Colorless

6.1.5 Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Earthy

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

125.00 N/mm²140.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Poor

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

1.2

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-2.72.65-2.67

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.6-2.9 g/cm³2.4-2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NANA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

China, India

7.1.2 Africa

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

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, 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

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

7.1.4 Others

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

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

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Gneiss vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite 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. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. 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 Rhyolite information and Gneiss vs Rhyolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gneiss vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gneiss and Properties of Rhyolite. Learn more about Gneiss vs Rhyolite in the next section. The interior uses of Gneiss include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Gneiss and Rhyolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gneiss in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Rhyolite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives.

More about Gneiss and Rhyolite

Here you can know more about Gneiss and Rhyolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gneiss and Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gneiss vs Rhyolite, 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, Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. Appearance of Gneiss is Foliated and that of Rhyolite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gneiss vs Rhyolite. The hardness of Gneiss is 7 and that of Rhyolite is 6-7. The types of Gneiss are Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss. whereas types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.. 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 Rhyolite is colorless. The specific heat capacity of Gneiss is Not Available and that of Rhyolite is Not Available. 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 Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.