Limestone

Chert

Limestone vs Chert

Limestone

Chert

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate

Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

New Zealand

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century

From flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Banded, Rough

2.2 Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Rough and Banded

Glassy or Pearly

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium

Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

3.2.2 Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

4 Types

4.1 Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa

Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Present

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.

Chert forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The chert formation can be either of chemical or biological origin.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt

Quartz, Silicon

5.2.2 Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO

Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Not Applicable

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3-46.5-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Splintery

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Pearly

Waxy and Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²450.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

6.1.9 Toughness

1.5

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.3-2.72.5-2.8

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm³2.7 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

United Kingdom

Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Bolivia, Brazil

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Limestone vs Chert 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 Limestone and Chert Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. 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 Limestone vs Chert information and Limestone vs Chert characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Limestone vs Chert 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. Limestone vs Chert characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Chert. Learn more about Limestone vs Chert in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Chert include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Chert, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Limestone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium and that of Chert include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Limestone and Chert

Here you can know more about Limestone and Chert. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Chert consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Chert includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Chert, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Chert is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Chert is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Chert. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Chert is 6.5-7. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone and Chert is white. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Chert is 0.74 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Chert is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.