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
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.
Origin
New Zealand
Central Europe
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German which means hornstone
From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granular, Platy
Granoblastic
Color
Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown
Black, Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
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
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones
Types
Biotite hornfels
Not Available
Features
Smooth to touch
Clasts are smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
Granulite is a fine-grained granular metamorphic rock in which the main component minerals are feldspars and quartz and forms at high temperature and pressure conditions.
Mineral Content
Andalusite
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Cleavage
Perfect
Imperfect
Toughness
Not Yet Found
Not Available
Specific Gravity
3.4-3.9
2.8-3.0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
0.25-0.30 g/cm3
3.06-3.33 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
United Kingdom
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
Not Yet Found
Hornfels vs Granulite 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 Granulite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Hornfels and Properties of Granulite. Learn more about Hornfels vs Granulite in the next section. The interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Granulite include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads. Due to some exceptional properties of Hornfels and Granulite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Hornfels in construction industry include For road aggregate, Roadstone and that of Granulite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls.
More about Hornfels and Granulite
Here you can know more about Hornfels and Granulite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Granulite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Granulite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Granulite, 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, Granulite is available in black, brown colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Granulite. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Granulite is 6-7. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Granulite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Hornfels is unknown while that of Granulite is white. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Granulite is 0.14 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 Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant.