Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone
Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay
Origin
Pennines, England
Unknown
Discoverer
J.J. Ferber
Unknown
Etymology
From Grit + Stone
From English clay and stone as the rock contains more amount of clay
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Layered and Foliated
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Facing Stone, Roof Tiles
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
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
Pottery
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 and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
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.
Claystone is generally quite soft, but can be hard and brittle. It forms due to weathering of mudstone.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
2.6
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.2 g/cm3
2-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Others
Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Panama, USA
South America
Brazil
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
Gritstone vs Claystone 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 Claystone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Claystone. Learn more about Gritstone vs Claystone in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Claystone include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Claystone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Claystone include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.
More about Gritstone and Claystone
Here you can know more about Gritstone and Claystone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Claystone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Claystone includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all . When we have to compare Gritstone vs Claystone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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, Claystone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Claystone is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Claystone. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Claystone is 3.5-4. The types of Gritstone are Not Available whereas types of Claystone are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gritstone and Claystone is white. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Claystone is 0.92 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 Claystone is heat resistant, impact resistant.