Gritstone

Chert

Gritstone vs Chert

Gritstone

Chert

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Definition

Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone

Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture

History

Origin

Pennines, England

Discoverer

J.J. Ferber

Unknown

Etymology

From Grit + Stone

From flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Earthy

Banded, Rough

Color

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

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered and Foliated

Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate, Roadstone

Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments

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

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

Sedimentary rock

Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

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.

Chert forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The chert formation can be either of chemical or biological origin.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Quartz, Silicon

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76.5-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

70.00 N/mm²450.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.2502.5-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.2 g/cm³2.7 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Gritstone vs Chert Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Gritstone and Chert Reserves. Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Gritstone vs Chert information and Gritstone vs Chert characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gritstone vs Chert 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 Chert characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Chert. Learn more about Gritstone vs Chert in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Chert include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Chert, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Chert include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Gritstone and Chert

Here you can know more about Gritstone and Chert. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Chert consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Chert includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Gritstone vs Chert, 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, Chert is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Chert is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Chert. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Chert is 6.5-7. The types of Gritstone are Sedimentary rock whereas types of Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gritstone and Chert is white. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Chert is 0.74 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 Chert is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.