Home
Compare Rocks


Gossan vs Hornfels


Hornfels 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.   
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
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

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
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-5   
2-3   

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White to Grey   
Unknown   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Metallic   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
5.80 N/mm2   
31

Cleavage
Not Available   
Perfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Yet Found   

Specific Gravity
2.0   
3.4-3.9   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
Not Available   
0.25-0.30 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.24 kJ/Kg K   
24
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

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
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

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   

Definition >>
<< All

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.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

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 unknown. 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.

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

» More Metamorphic Rocks

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks