Hornfels

Gritstone

Hornfels vs Gritstone

Hornfels

Gritstone

Add ⊕

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

Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone

History

Origin

New Zealand

Pennines, England

Discoverer

Unknown

J.J. Ferber

Etymology

From German which means hornstone

From Grit + Stone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Granular, Platy

Earthy

Color

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Layered and Foliated

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, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Construction Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones

Types

Biotite hornfels

Sedimentary rock

Features

Smooth to touch

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

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.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Andalusite

Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

Fe, Mg

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of 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, Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-36-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Dull

Compressive Strength

5.80 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

Specific Gravity

3.4-3.92.250

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

0.25-0.30 g/cm³2.2 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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Africa

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

United Kingdom

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Hornfels vs Gritstone 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 Gritstone 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. Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. 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 Gritstone information and Hornfels vs Gritstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks » More

Hornfels vs Suevite

Hornfels vs Skarn

Hornfels vs Serpentinite

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks

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

More about Hornfels and Gritstone

Here you can know more about Hornfels and Gritstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Gritstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Gritstone, 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, Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Gritstone. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Gritstone is 6-7. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Gritstone are Sedimentary 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 Gritstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Gritstone 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 Gritstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.