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Gossan vs Obsidian


Obsidian 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.  
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth  

History
  
  

Origin
Indonesia  
Ethiopia  

Discoverer
Cornish Gossen  
Obsius  

Etymology
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit  
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Volcanic  

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

Texture

Texture
Rough, Sandy  
Glassy  

Color
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust  
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull and Banded  
Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
-  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points  

Medical Industry
-  
Surgery  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Jewellery  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone  
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums  

Types

Types
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan  
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian  

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates  
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression  

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.   
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.  

Composition
  
  

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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, Glacier Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-5  
5-5.5  

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained  
-  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White to Grey  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Metallic  
Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
-  
0.15 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.0  
2.6-2.7  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
2.6 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  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea  
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia  

Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa  
Kenya  

Europe
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom  
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, Mexico, USA  

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador  
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Gossan vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian Reserves. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian information and Gossan vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gossan vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Gossan vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Obsidian, 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 Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Gossan and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Gossan and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Obsidian 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 Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Obsidian. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. 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 Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian 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 Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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