Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.
Origin
Pennines, England
USA
Discoverer
J.J. Ferber
Unknown
Etymology
From Grit + Stone
From pseudo- + tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard 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, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Layered and Foliated
Dull and Soft
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments
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
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Sculpture
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Figurines
Used
Not Yet 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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Not Applicable
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Not Applicable
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
White
Light to dark brown
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Cleavage
Perfect
Irregular
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.250
2.46-2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Transparent to Translucent
Density
2.2 g/cm3
2.7-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
South Korea
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Western Africa
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Great Britain, Switzerland
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
Central Australia, Western Australia
Gritstone vs Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Pseudotachylite. Learn more about Gritstone vs Pseudotachylite in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Pseudotachylite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Pseudotachylite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Pseudotachylite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement.
More about Gritstone and Pseudotachylite
Here you can know more about Gritstone and Pseudotachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Pseudotachylite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Pseudotachylite includes Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Gritstone vs Pseudotachylite, 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, Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Pseudotachylite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Pseudotachylite. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Pseudotachylite is 7. The types of Gritstone are Not Available whereas types of Pseudotachylite are Not Available. 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 Pseudotachylite is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite is heat resistant.