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Gossan vs Felsite


Felsite vs Gossan


Definition

Definition
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.  
Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition  

History
  
  

Origin
Indonesia  
-  

Discoverer
Cornish Gossen  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit  
From English feldspar and -ite  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Volcanic  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Rough, Sandy  
Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous  

Color
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust  
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull and Banded  
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points  

Medical Industry
-  
Surgery  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone  
Mirror, Jewelry  

Types

Types
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan  
Igneous rock  

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.   
Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.  

Composition
  
  

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

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-5  
5-5.5  

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White to Grey  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Metallic  
Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
-  
0.15 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.0  
2.6-2.7  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
2.6 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.24 kJ/Kg K  
31
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea  
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia  

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

Europe
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom  
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, Mexico, USA  

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador  
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia  
New Zealand  

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Gossan vs Felsite 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 Gossan and Felsite Reserves. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition. 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 Gossan vs Felsite information and Gossan vs Felsite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gossan vs Felsite 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 Felsite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Felsite. Learn more about Gossan vs Felsite in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Felsite, 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 Felsite include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Gossan and Felsite

Here you can know more about Gossan and Felsite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Felsite 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 Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Felsite, 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, Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Felsite. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Felsite is 5-5.5. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Felsite are Igneous rock. 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 Felsite is white. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Felsite 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 Felsite is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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