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Gritstone and Aplite


Aplite and Gritstone


Definition

Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone   
Aplite is a fine-grained granite composed mainly of feldspar and quartz   

History
  
  

Origin
Pennines, England   
Iran   

Discoverer
J.J. Ferber   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Grit + Stone   
From German Aplit, from Greek haploos simple + -ite   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

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

Texture

Texture
Earthy   
Granular, Graphic   

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

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
Layered and Foliated   
Veined or Pebbled   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone   
As Dimension Stone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones   
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Small Sculptures, Tombstones   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock   
Available in lots of colors, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.   
Aplites belong to intrusive igneous rocks which are mostly quart and alkali feldspar and are formed from residual eutectic granitic liquids and represent the final crystallization products of magma.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz   
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

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

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
6.5   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Not Available   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous   

Compressive Strength
70.00 N/mm2   
24
130.00 N/mm2   
16

Cleavage
Perfect   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.250   
2.6   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.2 g/cm3   
2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
0.79 kJ/Kg K   
16

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, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   

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

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Gritstone and Aplite Properties

Know all about Gritstone and Aplite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gritstone belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Aplite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Gritstone is Earthy whereas that of Aplite is Granular, Graphic. Gritstone appears Layered and Foliated and Aplite appears Veined or Pebbled. The luster of Gritstone is dull while that of Aplite is dull to pearly to subvitreous. Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas Aplite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Gritstone are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones and that of Aplite are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, small sculptures, tombstones.

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