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Gritstone vs Marble


Marble vs Gritstone


Definition

Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone   
Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time   

History
  
  

Origin
Pennines, England   
Egypt   

Discoverer
J.J. Ferber   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Grit + Stone   
From the Greek marmaros, shining stone and also from the English word marmoreal meaning marble-like   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Metamorphic 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   
Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Earthy   
Granular   

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

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Layered and Foliated   
Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone   
As Dimension Stone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   
Artifacts, Jewellery, 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   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Paper Industry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Capitol Hill Building, Washington DC, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Ephesus in Turkey, Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Louvre in Paris, France, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Parthenon in Greece, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Qutb Minar in India, Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower of Pisa, Italy, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India, Washington Monument, US   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Bust of Artemis, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Lincoln Memorial in America   

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.   
Marble is a metamorphic rock produced from limestone in the earth crust. It is formed by the metamorphism of limestone.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz   
Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Impact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
3-4   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Medium 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
115.00 N/mm2   
18

Cleavage
Perfect   
Perfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.250   
2.86-2.87   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.2 g/cm3   
2.4-2.7 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
0.88 kJ/Kg K   
13

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
China, India   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Namibia   

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

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Not Yet Found   

South America
Brazil   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Gritstone vs Marble 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 Marble Reserves. Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time. 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 Marble information and Gritstone vs Marble characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gritstone vs Marble 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 Marble characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Marble. Learn more about Gritstone vs Marble in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Marble include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads. Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Marble, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Marble include As dimension stone.

More about Gritstone and Marble

Here you can know more about Gritstone and Marble. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Marble consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Marble includes Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Gritstone vs Marble, 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, Marble is available in black, blue, brown, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Marble is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Marble. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Marble is 3-4. The types of Gritstone are Not Available whereas types of Marble are Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gritstone and Marble is white. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Marble is 0.88 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 Marble is heat resistant.

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