Gossan

Travertine

Gossan and Travertine

Gossan

Travertine

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Definition

Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.

Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters

History

Origin

Indonesia

Italy

Discoverer

Cornish Gossen

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Etymology

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit

From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Rough, Sandy

Banded

Color

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Banded

Fibrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Types

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan

Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

Formation

Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.

Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.

Composition

Mineral Content

Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur

Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-53-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Splintery

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Metallic

Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

-80.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.01.68

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm³2.71 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.24 kJ/Kg K1.09 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea

China, Russia

Africa

Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia

All about Gossan and Travertine Properties

Know all about Gossan and Travertine properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gossan belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Travertine belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Gossan is Rough, Sandy whereas that of Travertine is Banded. Gossan appears Dull and Banded and Travertine appears Fibrous. The luster of Gossan is metallic while that of Travertine is dull to pearly. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Gossan are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, gemstone and that of Travertine are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, paper industry, pottery.