Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone
Mugearite is a type of oligoclase bearing basalt, also comprising of olivine, apatite, and opaque oxides
Origin
Pennines, England
Skye, Scotland
Discoverer
J.J. Ferber
Alfred Harker
Etymology
From Grit + Stone
From mugear + -ite
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Layered and Foliated
Dull and Soft
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
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
Creating Artwork
Types
Not Available
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
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.
Mugearite forms when lava reaches the Earth's surface near an active volcano. The temperature of lava is between 1100 to 1250° C when it gets to the surface.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
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
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Not Applicable
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Not Applicable
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Not Available
Cleavage
Perfect
Not Applicable
Toughness
Not Available
2.3
Specific Gravity
2.250
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.2 g/cm3
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
India, Russia
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
South Africa
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Iceland
Others
Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
Not Yet Found
Gritstone vs Mugearite 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 Mugearite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Mugearite. Learn more about Gritstone vs Mugearite in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Mugearite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes and Hotels. Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Mugearite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Mugearite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.
More about Gritstone and Mugearite
Here you can know more about Gritstone and Mugearite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Mugearite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Mugearite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Gritstone vs Mugearite, 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, Mugearite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Mugearite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Mugearite. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Mugearite is 6. The types of Gritstone are Not Available whereas types of Mugearite are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite. 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 Mugearite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Mugearite is 0.84 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 Mugearite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.