Hornfels

Basanite

Hornfels and Basanite

Hornfels

Basanite

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Definition

Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

Basanite is a black basaltic rock which mainly contains plagioclase, augite, olivine and nepheline and is formerly used as a touchstone

History

Origin

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From German which means hornstone

From Latin basanites + -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Granular, Platy

Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Color

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

As a touchstone, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

Biotite hornfels

Nepheline-Basanite, Analcite-Basanite and Leucite-Basanite

Features

Smooth to touch

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Basanite is a fine-grained, hard rock that forms when bits of lava shoot out of volcanoes.

Composition

Mineral Content

Andalusite

Augite, Feldspar, Ilmenite, Olivine, Plagioclase

Compound Content

Fe, Mg

Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-37

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

5.80 N/mm²100.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

3.4-3.92.5-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

0.25-0.30 g/cm³2.7 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 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

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Uganda

Europe

United Kingdom

Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain

Others

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Bolivia, Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

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

All about Hornfels and Basanite Properties

Know all about Hornfels and Basanite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Hornfels belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Basanite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Hornfels is Granular, Platy whereas that of Basanite is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Hornfels appears Dull and Basanite appears Glassy or Pearly. The luster of Hornfels is shiny while that of Basanite is waxy and dull. Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors whereas Basanite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. The commercial uses of Hornfels are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork and that of Basanite are as a touchstone, creating artwork, gemstone, in fire-starting tools, manufacture of tools, metallurgical flux, jewelry, to ignite fire, used in flintlock firearms.