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Greywacke and Anorthosite


Anorthosite and Greywacke


Definition

Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay   
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase   

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke   
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Foliated, Glassy   

Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow   
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones   
Creating Artwork, Curling   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined   
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Graywacke rock is a type of sedimentary rock, which is also known as immature sandstone, which is indurated, dark grey and consisting of poorly sorted angular to sub-angular, sand-sized grains.   
Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   
Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
5-6   

Grain Size
Angular and Fine   
Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Irregular   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Pearly to Subvitreous   

Cleavage
Perfect   
Irregular   

Toughness
2.6   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8   
2.62-2.82   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent   

Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3   
2.7-4 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
Not Yet Found   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Not Yet Found   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada   

South America
Brazil   
Bolivia, Colombia   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Greywacke and Anorthosite Properties

Know all about Greywacke and Anorthosite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Greywacke belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Anorthosite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Greywacke is Clastic whereas that of Anorthosite is Foliated, Glassy. Greywacke appears Dull and Anorthosite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Greywacke is dull while that of Anorthosite is pearly to subvitreous. Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Greywacke are as armour rock for sea walls, petroleum reservoirs, sea defence, tombstones and that of Anorthosite are creating artwork, curling.

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