Definition
Novaculite is a dense, hard, fine-grained, siliceous metamorpic rock which is a type of chert that breaks with conchoidal fracture
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.
Origin
Unknown
Central Europe
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Latin word novacula, for razor stone
From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard 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
Banded, Glassy, Rough, Vitreous
Granoblastic
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Black, Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Glassy or Pearly
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone, Spear Points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons
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, Gemstone, In aquifers, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, Manufacture of tools, Pebbles are used in ball mills to grind in ceramics industry, To determine the gold content of jewelry
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
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
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
Formation
Novaculite forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The formation of Novaculite can be either of chemical or biological origin.
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
Quartz, Silicon
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz
Compound Content
Ca, Silicon Dioxide
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
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Waxy and Dull
Vitreous
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Imperfect
Toughness
1.5
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.7
2.8-3.0
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.7 g/cm3
3.06-3.33 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela
Others
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Not Yet Found
Novaculite 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. Novaculite vs Granulite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Novaculite and Properties of Granulite. Learn more about Novaculite vs Granulite in the next section. The interior uses of Novaculite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring 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 Novaculite and Granulite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Novaculite in construction industry include Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone, Spear points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons and that of Granulite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls.
More about Novaculite and Granulite
Here you can know more about Novaculite and Granulite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Novaculite and Granulite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Novaculite includes Quartz, Silicon 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 Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Novaculite vs Granulite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Novaculite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors whereas, Granulite is available in black, brown colors. Appearance of Novaculite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Novaculite vs Granulite. The hardness of Novaculite is 7 and that of Granulite is 6-7. The types of Novaculite are Not Available 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 Novaculite is colorless while that of Granulite is white. The specific heat capacity of Novaculite is 0.74 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.Novaculite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant.