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Obsidian

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Obsidian vs Amphibolite

1 Definition
1.1 Definition
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
Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase
1.2 History
1.2.1 Origin
Ethiopia
Unknown
1.2.2 Discoverer
Obsius
Alexandre Brongniart
1.3 Etymology
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius
From Amphibole + -ite
1.4 Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
1.4.1 Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
1.5 Family
1.5.1 Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
1.6 Other Categories
Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
2 Texture
2.1 Texture
Glassy
Banded, Foliated, Massive
2.2 Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow
Black, Brown, Green, Grey
2.3 Maintenance
Less
Less
2.4 Durability
Durable
Durable
2.4.1 Water Resistant
81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.2 Scratch Resistant
86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.3 Stain Resistant
66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.4 Wind Resistant
49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.5 Acid Resistant
48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.5 Appearance
Shiny
Foliated
3 Uses
3.1 Architecture
3.1.1 Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
3.1.2 Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
3.2 Industry
3.2.1 Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone
3.2.2 Medical Industry
Surgery
Not Yet Used
3.3 Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
3.4 Other Uses
3.4.1 Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
4 Types
4.1 Types
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian
Hornblendite
4.2 Features
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression
Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny
4.3 Archaeological Significance
4.3.1 Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
4.3.2 Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
4.3.3 Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
4.3.4 Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
4.3.5 Pictographs
Used
Not Used
4.3.6 Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
4.3.7 Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
4.4 Fossils
Absent
Absent
5 Formation
5.1 Formation
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.
Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.
5.2 Composition
5.2.1 Mineral Content
Not Available
Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite
5.2.2 Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
5.3 Transformation
5.3.1 Metamorphism
97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
5.3.3 Weathering
99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
5.3.4 Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
5.3.5 Erosion
92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
5.3.6 Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
6 Properties
6.1 Physical Properties
6.1.1 Hardness
5-5.5
6-7
6.1.2 Grain Size
Not Applicable
Medium to Coarse Grained
6.1.3 Fracture
Conchoidal
Irregular to Conchoidal
6.1.4 Streak
White
White to Grey
6.1.5 Porosity
Very Less Porous
Less Porous
6.1.6 Luster
Vitreous
Vitreous to Dull
6.1.7 Compressive Strength
Flint
0.15 N/mm2
Rank: 33 (Overall)
Not Available
Rank: N/A (Overall)
Obsidian
ADD ⊕
6.1.8 Cleavage
Non-Existent
Irregular
6.1.9 Toughness
Not Available
2.3
6.1.10 Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7
2.5
6.1.11 Transparency
Translucent
Opaque
6.1.12 Density
2.6 g/cm3
2.85-3.07 g/cm3
6.2 Thermal Properties
6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity
Banded iron for..
0.92 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 10 (Overall)
Not Available
Rank: N/A (Overall)
Granulite
ADD ⊕
6.2.2 Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
7 Reserves
7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents
7.1.1 Asia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Russia, Turkey
7.1.2 Africa
Kenya
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
7.1.3 Europe
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland
7.1.4 Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
7.2 Deposits in Western Continents
7.2.1 North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
7.2.2 South America
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Brazil
7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent
7.3.1 Australia
New Zealand
South Australia, Western Australia

Obsidian vs Amphibolite 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 Obsidian and Amphibolite Reserves. 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. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. 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 Obsidian vs Amphibolite information and Obsidian vs Amphibolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Obsidian vs Amphibolite 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. Obsidian vs Amphibolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Obsidian and Properties of Amphibolite. Learn more about Obsidian vs Amphibolite in the next section. The interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Obsidian and Amphibolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Obsidian in construction industry include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points and that of Amphibolite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone.

More about Obsidian and Amphibolite

Here you can know more about Obsidian and Amphibolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Obsidian and Amphibolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Obsidian is not available and mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Obsidian vs Amphibolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas, Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors. Appearance of Obsidian is Shiny and that of Amphibolite is Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Obsidian vs Amphibolite. The hardness of Obsidian is 5-5.5 and that of Amphibolite is 6-7. The types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian whereas types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Obsidian is white while that of Amphibolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Obsidian is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Amphibolite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.