Definition
Granophyre is a type of granitic rock which consists of intergrown feldspar and quartz crystals in a medium to fine grained groundmass
  
Novaculite is a dense, hard, fine-grained, siliceous metamorpic rock which is a type of chert that breaks with conchoidal fracture
  
History
  
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From German Granophyr, from Granit granite + Porphyr
  
From Latin word novacula, for razor stone
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Volcanic
  
Not Applicable
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Granophyric
  
Banded, Glassy, Rough, Vitreous
  
Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
  
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
  
Maintenance
More
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
  
Glassy or Pearly
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
  
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
  
Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone, Spear Points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
  
Artifacts, Monuments
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
  
Cemetery Markers, Gemstone, In aquifers, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, Manufacture of tools, Pebbles are used in ball mills to grind in ceramics industry, To determine the gold content of jewelry
  
Types
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
  
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
  
Not Applicable
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Not Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Not Used
  
Figurines
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Present
  
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.
  
Novaculite forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The formation of Novaculite can be either of chemical or biological origin.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz
  
Quartz, Silicon
  
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
  
Ca, Silicon Dioxide
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
  
Not Applicable
  
Weathering
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
  
Not Applicable
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
6-7
  
7
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fine Grained
  
Fracture
Not Available
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
White
  
Colorless
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
  
Waxy and Dull
  
Compressive Strength
175.00 N/mm2
  
13
450.00 N/mm2
  
1
Cleavage
Not Available
  
Non-Existent
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
1.5
  
Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7
  
2.5-2.7
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Translucent to Opaque
  
Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3
  
2.7 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
0.79 kJ/Kg K
  
16
0.74 kJ/Kg K
  
19
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
  
China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
  
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
  
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela
  
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, USA
  
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
South America
Not Yet Found
  
Bolivia, Brazil
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
Not Yet Found
  
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
  
Granophyre vs Novaculite 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. Granophyre vs Novaculite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granophyre and Properties of Novaculite. Learn more about Granophyre vs Novaculite in the next section. The interior uses of Granophyre include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Novaculite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granophyre and Novaculite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granophyre in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Novaculite include Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone, Spear points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons.
More about Granophyre and Novaculite
Here you can know more about Granophyre and Novaculite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granophyre and Novaculite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granophyre includes Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz and mineral content of Novaculite includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granophyre vs Novaculite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granophyre is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Novaculite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Granophyre is Veined or Pebbled and that of Novaculite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granophyre vs Novaculite. The hardness of Granophyre is 6-7 and that of Novaculite is 7. The types of Granophyre are Not Available whereas types of Novaculite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granophyre is white while that of Novaculite is colorless. The specific heat capacity of Granophyre is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Novaculite is 0.74 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Granophyre is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Novaculite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.