Home
Compare Rocks


Greywacke and Cataclasite


Cataclasite and Greywacke


Definition

Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay  
Cataclasite is a type of cataclastic rock that is formed by fracturing and comminution during faulting. It is normally cohesive and non-foliated, consisting of angular clasts in a finer-grained matrix  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Swiss Alps, Europe  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Michael Tellinger  

Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke  
From the Italian word cataclasi  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic  
Clastic  

Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow  
Brown, Green, White, Yellow  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull  
Dull and Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

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, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

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

Types

Types
Greywacke  
Protocataclasite, Mesocataclasite, Ultracataclasite and Foliated cataclasite  

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

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

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.  
Cataclasiste rocks mainly form by pressure deep under the Earth's surface, from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz  
Albite, Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyroxene, Quartz  

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  
Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  
Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7  
3-4  

Grain Size
Angular and Fine  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
-  

Streak
White  
Black  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
120.00 N/mm2  
26
50.00 N/mm2  
39

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
2.6  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8  
2.1  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent to Opaque  

Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3  
2.9-3.1 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.71 kJ/Kg K  
23
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan  
China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea  

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  
Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, South Africa  

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  
England, Finland, France, Spain, United Kingdom  

Others
Greenland  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Argentina, Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Greywacke and Cataclasite Properties

Know all about Greywacke and Cataclasite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Greywacke belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Cataclasite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Greywacke is Clastic whereas that of Cataclasite is Clastic. Greywacke appears Dull and Cataclasite appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Greywacke is dull while that of Cataclasite is vitreous. Greywacke and Cataclasite are available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Greywacke are as armour rock for sea walls, petroleum reservoirs, sea defence, tombstones and that of Cataclasite are commemorative tablets, creating artwork.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

» More Sedimentary Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks