Home
Compare Rocks


Gossan vs Gritstone


Gritstone 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.  
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone  

History
  
  

Origin
Indonesia  
Pennines, England  

Discoverer
Cornish Gossen  
J.J. Ferber  

Etymology
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit  
From Grit + Stone  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Rough, Sandy  
Earthy  

Color
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust  
Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull and Banded  
Layered and Foliated  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones  

Types

Types
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan  
Sedimentary rock  

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

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

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.   
Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.   

Composition
  
  

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of 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, Coastal Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-5  
6-7  

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White to Grey  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Metallic  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
-  
70.00 N/mm2  
35

Cleavage
-  
Perfect  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.0  
2.250  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
2.2 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, Pressure Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea  
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan  

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

Europe
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom  
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
Greenland  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
<< All

Gossan vs Gritstone 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 Gritstone Reserves. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. 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 Gritstone information and Gossan vs Gritstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Gossan vs Gritstone 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 Gritstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Gritstone. Learn more about Gossan vs Gritstone in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Gritstone, 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 Gritstone include Construction aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Gossan and Gritstone

Here you can know more about Gossan and Gritstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Gritstone 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 Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Gritstone, 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, Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Gritstone. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Gritstone is 6-7. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Gritstone are Sedimentary 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 Gritstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Gritstone 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 Gritstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

» More Metamorphic Rocks

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks