Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone
Anthracite is a type of sedimentary rock which is hard and is variety of coal that has high luster
Origin
Pennines, England
Pennsylvania, U.S.
Discoverer
J.J. Ferber
Unknown
Etymology
From Grit + Stone
From Greek anthrakites, from anthrax, anthrak meaning coal
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy
Amorphous, Glassy
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Layered and Foliated
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
-
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
-
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Medical Industry
-
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Manufacture of Aspirins
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
-
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
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Types
Sedimentary rock
Semi-anthracite and Meta-anthracite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Archaeological Significance
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.
Anthracite forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. When plant debris dies and falls into the swamp, the standing water of the swamp protects it from decay.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
-
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Specific Gravity
2.250
1.1-1.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.2 g/cm3
1.25-2.5 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Water Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Gritstone vs Anthracite 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. Gritstone vs Anthracite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Anthracite. Learn more about Gritstone vs Anthracite in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Anthracite include . Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Anthracite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Anthracite include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production.
More about Gritstone and Anthracite
Here you can know more about Gritstone and Anthracite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Anthracite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Anthracite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Gritstone vs Anthracite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Anthracite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Anthracite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Anthracite. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Anthracite is 1-1.5. The types of Gritstone are Sedimentary rock whereas types of Anthracite are Semi-anthracite and Meta-anthracite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gritstone is white while that of Anthracite is black. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Anthracite is 1.32 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gritstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Anthracite is heat resistant, water resistant.