Definition
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel
Discoverer
Cornish Gossen
Unknown
Etymology
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Rough, Sandy
Banded, Rough
Color
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, 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, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms
Types
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Chert and Jasper
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.
Mineral Content
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Silicon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.0
2.5-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
-9999 g/cm3
2.7-2.71 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Azerbaijan, China, Russia
Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
-
Europe
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Bolivia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, South Australia
Gossan vs Flint 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 Flint characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Flint. Learn more about Gossan vs Flint in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Flint include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Flint, 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 Flint include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Spear points.
More about Gossan and Flint
Here you can know more about Gossan and Flint. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Flint 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 Flint includes Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Flint, 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, Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Flint is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Flint. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Flint is 7. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Flint are Chert and Jasper. 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 Flint is white. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Flint is 0.74 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 Flint is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.