Granite

Gabbro

Granite vs Gabbro

Granite

Gabbro

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone

Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Germany

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

Christian Leopold von Buch

1.3 Etymology

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum

From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Granular, Phaneritic

Phaneritic

2.2 Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White

Dark Grey to Black

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Veined or Pebbled

Veined and Shiny

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

4 Types

4.1 Types

Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite

Not Available

4.2 Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock

Smooth to touch

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Blue Domed Church in Santorini, Greece, Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London, UK, Ephesus in Turkey, Georgia Guidestones in Georgia, US, Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Khajuraho Temples, India, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, India, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Signers Monument in Augusta, Georgia, Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower Bridge in London, Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, US, Washington Monument, US

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Avukana Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka, Lincoln Memorial in America, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US, The Colossal Red Granite Statue of Amenhotep III in Karnak, Egypt

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks

Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Chemical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

Coastal Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-77

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Black

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

Not Available

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

175.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

1.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.86-2.87

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.65-2.75 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg KNA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

India, Russia

7.1.2 Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Not Yet Found

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Not Yet Found

New Zealand, Queensland

Granite vs Gabbro 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 Granite and Gabbro Reserves. Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone. Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt. 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 Granite vs Gabbro information and Granite vs Gabbro characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Granite vs Gabbro 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. Granite vs Gabbro characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granite and Properties of Gabbro. Learn more about Granite vs Gabbro in the next section. The interior uses of Granite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granite and Gabbro, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Gabbro include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Granite and Gabbro

Here you can know more about Granite and Gabbro. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granite and Gabbro consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granite vs Gabbro, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Granite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granite vs Gabbro. The hardness of Granite is 6-7 and that of Gabbro is 7. The types of Granite are Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite whereas types of Gabbro are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granite is white while that of Gabbro is black. The specific heat capacity of Granite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Gabbro is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Granite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.