Definition
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
A water-soluble mineral sediment resulting from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution
Discoverer
Cornish Gossen
Usiglio
Etymology
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
From a sediment left after the evaporation
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Rough, Sandy
Earthy
Color
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Colourless, Green, Grey, Silver, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
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
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Used in the manufacture of Ceramic Powder, Used in the preparation of Sulfuric Acid and Silicon Diborite
Types
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Not Available
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Generally rough to touch, Splintery, Veined
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Formation
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Evaporite is water-soluble mineral sediment which forms from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution.
Mineral Content
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Calcite, Cancrinite, Gypsum, Kyanite, Magnetite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
CaMg(CO3)2, CaO, Calcium Sulfate, KCl, MgO, NaCl
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Not Applicable
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Metallic
Subvitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Perfect
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.0
2.86-2.99
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
Not Available
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Not Available
Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Not Available
Europe
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Colombia, Paraguay
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
Gossan vs Evaporite 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. Gossan vs Evaporite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Evaporite. Learn more about Gossan vs Evaporite in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Evaporite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Evaporite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gossan in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Evaporite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.
More about Gossan and Evaporite
Here you can know more about Gossan and Evaporite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Evaporite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon and mineral content of Evaporite includes Calcite, Cancrinite, Gypsum, Kyanite, Magnetite. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Evaporite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas, Evaporite is available in colourless, green, grey, silver, white colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Evaporite is Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Evaporite. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Evaporite is 2-3. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Evaporite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gossan is white to grey while that of Evaporite is white. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Evaporite 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.Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Evaporite is heat resistant, pressure resistant.