Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt
Discoverer
Unknown
Christian Leopold von Buch
Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke
From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic
Phaneritic
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Dark Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull
Veined and Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, 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, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
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
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Greywacke
Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined
Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
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.
Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.
Mineral Content
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
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
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Coastal Erosion
Grain Size
Angular and Fine
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3
2.7-3.3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
India, Russia
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
South Africa
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
Greenland
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
New Zealand, Queensland
Greywacke vs Gabbro 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. Greywacke vs Gabbro characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Greywacke and Properties of Gabbro. Learn more about Greywacke vs Gabbro in the next section. The interior uses of Greywacke include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Greywacke and Gabbro, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Greywacke in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Gabbro include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Greywacke and Gabbro
Here you can know more about Greywacke and Gabbro. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Greywacke and Gabbro consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Greywacke includes Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Greywacke vs Gabbro, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Greywacke is Dull and that of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Greywacke vs Gabbro. The hardness of Greywacke is 6-7 and that of Gabbro is 7. The types of Greywacke are Greywacke whereas types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Greywacke is white while that of Gabbro is black. The specific heat capacity of Greywacke is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Gabbro is 0.71 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Greywacke is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.