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Mudstone vs Hornfels


Hornfels vs Mudstone


Definition

Definition
Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations   
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   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
New Zealand   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From the English mud and stone, from low German mudde and stainaz   
From German which means hornstone   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Granular, Platy   

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

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Rough and Dull   
Dull   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Roof Tiles   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   
for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Monuments   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Pottery   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Marl, Shale and Argillite   
Biotite hornfels   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock   
Smooth to touch   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Mudstone forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are buried and compacted by overlying sediment hence forming mudstone.   
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.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz   
Andalusite   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide   
Fe, Mg   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
2-3   
2-3   

Grain Size
Very fine-grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Not Available   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
Unknown   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
5.80 N/mm2   
31

Cleavage
Perfect   
Perfect   

Toughness
2.6   
Not Yet Found   

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8   
3.4-3.9   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3   
0.25-0.30 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.39 kJ/Kg K   
23
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa   

Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland   
United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela   
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Mudstone vs Hornfels 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 Mudstone and Hornfels Reserves. Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations. 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. 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 Mudstone vs Hornfels information and Mudstone vs Hornfels characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Mudstone vs Hornfels 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. Mudstone vs Hornfels characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Mudstone and Properties of Hornfels. Learn more about Mudstone vs Hornfels in the next section. The interior uses of Mudstone include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Mudstone and Hornfels, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Mudstone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Hornfels include For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Mudstone and Hornfels

Here you can know more about Mudstone and Hornfels. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Mudstone and Hornfels consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Mudstone includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz and mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Mudstone vs Hornfels, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Mudstone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Mudstone is Rough and Dull and that of Hornfels is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Mudstone vs Hornfels. Hardness of Mudstone and Hornfels is 2-3. The types of Mudstone are Marl, Shale and Argillite whereas types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Mudstone is white while that of Hornfels is unknown. The specific heat capacity of Mudstone is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Mudstone is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.

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