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Hornfels
Hornfels

Obsidian
Obsidian



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Hornfels
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Obsidian

Hornfels vs Obsidian

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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
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth

History

Origin

New Zealand
Ethiopia

Discoverer

Unknown
Obsius

Etymology

From German which means hornstone
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

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
Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Granular, Platy
Glassy

Color

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

Types

Biotite hornfels
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Features

Smooth to touch
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

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.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.

Composition

Mineral Content

Andalusite
-

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, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-35-5.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
-

Fracture

Conchoidal
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 Obsidian 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 Obsidian 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. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian information and Hornfels vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Hornfels and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Hornfels and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Obsidian. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. 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 Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian 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 Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.