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Hornfels
Hornfels

Gabbro
Gabbro



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Hornfels
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Gabbro

Hornfels vs Gabbro

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Definition

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
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

History

Origin

New Zealand
Germany

Discoverer

Unknown
Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

From German which means hornstone
From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Granular, Platy
Phaneritic

Color

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown
Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Types

Biotite hornfels
Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Features

Smooth to touch
Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

Composition

Mineral Content

Andalusite
Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Fe, Mg
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering
Chemical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-37
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

-
Black

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny
-

Compressive Strength

5.80 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect
-

Toughness

-
1.6

Specific Gravity

3.4-3.92.86-2.87
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

0.25-0.30 g/cm32.7-3.3 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure 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
India, Russia

Africa

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa
South Africa

Europe

United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

-
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Hornfels vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro 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. Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt. 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 Gabbro information and Hornfels vs Gabbro characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Hornfels vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Hornfels and Properties of Gabbro. Learn more about Hornfels vs Gabbro in the next section. The interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Hornfels and Gabbro, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Hornfels in construction industry include For road aggregate, Roadstone and that of Gabbro include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Hornfels and Gabbro

Here you can know more about Hornfels and Gabbro. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Gabbro consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Gabbro, 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, Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Gabbro. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Gabbro is 7. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro. 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 Gabbro is black. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Gabbro is 0.71 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 Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.