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Granophyre and Tachylite


Tachylite and Granophyre


Definition

Definition
Granophyre is a type of granitic rock which consists of intergrown feldspar and quartz crystals in a medium to fine grained groundmass   
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
Iceland   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From German Granophyr, from Granit granite + Porphyr   
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Granophyric   
Vitreous   

Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White   
Black, Dark Brown   

Maintenance
More   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Glassy   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone   
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones   
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, NA   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Granophyre is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.   
Tachylite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz   
Feldspar, Olivine   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
5.5   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Not Available   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
Vermilion   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous   
Resinous   

Compressive Strength
175.00 N/mm2   
13
206.00 N/mm2   
8

Cleavage
Not Available   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7   
2.4   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3   
3.058 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.79 kJ/Kg K   
16
0.56 kJ/Kg K   
22

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea   

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

Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela   
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Hawaii Islands   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
USA   

South America
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
Victoria   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Granophyre and Tachylite Properties

Know all about Granophyre and Tachylite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Granophyre and Tachylite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Granophyre is Granophyric whereas that of Tachylite is Vitreous. Granophyre appears Veined or Pebbled and Tachylite appears Glassy. The luster of Granophyre is dull to grainy with sporadic parts pearly and vitreous while that of Tachylite is resinous. Granophyre is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors. The commercial uses of Granophyre are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, tombstones and that of Tachylite are cemetery markers, creating artwork.

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