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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
-  
-  

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
-  
-  

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
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
-  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
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  
-  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Metallic  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
-  
5.80 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
-  
Perfect  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.0  
3.4-3.9  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
0.25-0.30 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.24 kJ/Kg K  
31
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
-  
-  

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  

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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.

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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.

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