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Gossan
Gossan

Hornfels
Hornfels



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Hornfels

Gossan vs Hornfels

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Definition

Definition

Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

History

Origin

Indonesia
New Zealand

Discoverer

Cornish Gossen
Unknown

Etymology

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
From German which means hornstone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Rough, Sandy
Granular, Platy

Color

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull and Banded
Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, 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, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Types

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Biotite hornfels

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Smooth to touch

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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
Biological Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-52-3
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey
-

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Metallic
Shiny

Compressive Strength

-5.80 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
Perfect

Toughness

-
-

Specific Gravity

2.03.4-3.9
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm30.25-0.30 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.24 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

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
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Europe

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Gossan vs Hornfels 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 Hornfels Reserves. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock. 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 Hornfels information and Gossan vs Hornfels characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Gossan and Hornfels

Here you can know more about Gossan and Hornfels. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Hornfels 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 Hornfels includes Andalusite. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Hornfels, 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, Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Hornfels is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Hornfels. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Hornfels is 2-3. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels. 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 Hornfels is . The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Hornfels is 0.84 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 Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.