Hornfels

Felsite

Hornfels vs Felsite

Hornfels

Felsite

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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

Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

History

Origin

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From German which means hornstone

From English feldspar and -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Granular, Platy

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Color

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Mirror, Jewelry

Types

Biotite hornfels

Igneous rock

Features

Smooth to touch

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

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.

Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

Andalusite

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Compound Content

Fe, Mg

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

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

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-35-5.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

5.80 N/mm²0.15 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

Specific Gravity

3.4-3.92.6-2.7

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent

Density

0.25-0.30 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Kenya

Europe

United Kingdom

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New Zealand

Hornfels vs Felsite 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 Hornfels and Felsite Reserves. 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. Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition. 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 Hornfels vs Felsite information and Hornfels vs Felsite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Hornfels vs Felsite 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. Hornfels vs Felsite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Hornfels and Properties of Felsite. Learn more about Hornfels vs Felsite in the next section. The interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Hornfels and Felsite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Hornfels in construction industry include For road aggregate, Roadstone and that of Felsite include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Hornfels and Felsite

Here you can know more about Hornfels and Felsite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Felsite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Felsite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors whereas, Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Felsite. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Felsite is 5-5.5. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Felsite are Igneous rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Hornfels is while that of Felsite is white. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Felsite 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.Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Felsite is heat resistant, impact resistant.