Home
Compare Rocks


Gritstone and Kenyte


Kenyte and Gritstone


Definition

Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone   
Kenyte is a variety of porphyritic phonolite or trachyte rock with rhomb shaped phenocrysts of anorthoclase with variable olivine and augite in a glassy matrix   

History
  
  

Origin
Pennines, England   
Mount Kenya   

Discoverer
J.J. Ferber   
J. W. Gregory   

Etymology
From Grit + Stone   
From the mountain ranges- Mount Kenya and is named by J. W. Gregory in 1900   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Earthy   
Glassy, Granular   

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

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Layered and Foliated   
Banded and Foilated   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   

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   
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock   
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, 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   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
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.   
Kenyte is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz   
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite   

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, Impact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal to Uneven   

Streak
White   
White, Greenish White or Grey   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Greasy to Dull   

Compressive Strength
70.00 N/mm2   
24
150.00 N/mm2   
14

Cleavage
Perfect   
Poor   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.250   
2.6   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
2.2 g/cm3   
2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
Not Available   

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, 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   
Andorra, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden   

Others
Greenland   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Gritstone and Kenyte Properties

Know all about Gritstone and Kenyte properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gritstone belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Kenyte belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Gritstone is Earthy whereas that of Kenyte is Glassy, Granular. Gritstone appears Layered and Foliated and Kenyte appears Banded and Foilated. The luster of Gritstone is dull while that of Kenyte is greasy to dull. 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 Kenyte is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, 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 Kenyte are cemetery markers, creating artwork.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks