Gneiss

Tonalite

Gneiss vs Tonalite

Gneiss

Tonalite

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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

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

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Tonale, Italy

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

From Tonale Pass, northern Italy, + -ite1

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

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

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

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Banded, Foliated, Platy

Phaneritic

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Pink, Red, White

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

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 and Foilated

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

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

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Dacite

4.2 Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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

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

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

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.

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

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

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

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

NaCl, CaO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

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

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

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Bluish Black

6.1.5 Porosity

Very Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Subvitreous to Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

125.00 N/mm²NA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Poor

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

1.2

2.1

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-2.72.86-3

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.6-2.9 g/cm³2.73 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NA0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

Not Yet Found

7.1.2 Africa

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

Egypt

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

Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey

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

USA

7.2.2 South America

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

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria

New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia

Gneiss 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 Gneiss and Tonalite 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. 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 Gneiss vs Tonalite information and Gneiss vs Tonalite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Gneiss and Tonalite

Here you can know more about Gneiss and Tonalite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gneiss and Tonalite 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 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 Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gneiss vs Tonalite, 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, Tonalite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Gneiss is Foliated and that of Tonalite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gneiss vs Tonalite. The hardness of Gneiss is 7 and that of Tonalite is 6-7. The types of Gneiss are Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss. 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 Gneiss is white while that of Tonalite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Gneiss is Not Available 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.Gneiss is heat resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant whereas Tonalite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.