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Greywacke and Rhyolite


Rhyolite and Greywacke


Definition

Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay   
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
North America   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Ferdinand von Richthofen   

Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke   
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic   

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

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Dull   
Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones   
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined   
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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
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.   
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, 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   
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
6-7   

Grain Size
Angular and Fine   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Sub-conchoidal   

Streak
White   
Colorless   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Earthy   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
140.00 N/mm2   
15

Cleavage
Perfect   
Not Available   

Toughness
2.6   
2   

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8   
2.65-2.67   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3   
2.4-2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
China, India   

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

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand   
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Greywacke and Rhyolite Properties

Know all about Greywacke and Rhyolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Greywacke belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Rhyolite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Greywacke is Clastic whereas that of Rhyolite is Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic. Greywacke appears Dull and Rhyolite appears Banded. The luster of Greywacke is dull while that of Rhyolite is earthy. 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 Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. The commercial uses of Greywacke are as armour rock for sea walls, petroleum reservoirs, sea defence, tombstones and that of Rhyolite are gemstone, laboratory bench tops, jewelry.

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