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Obsidian
Obsidian

Carbonatite
Carbonatite



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Obsidian vs Carbonatite

Definition

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
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals

History

Origin

Ethiopia
Tanzania

Discoverer

Obsius
Unknown

Etymology

From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Glassy
Granular, Poikiloblastic

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Shiny
Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Surgery
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery
Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux

Types

Types

Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian
Carbonatite

Features

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

-
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.53
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

-
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Very Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous
Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm275.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
1

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.86-2.87
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent
Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm32.84-2.86 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.51 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Africa

Kenya
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

-
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand
New South Wales, New Zealand

Obsidian vs Carbonatite 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 Carbonatite 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. Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals. 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 Carbonatite information and Obsidian vs Carbonatite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Obsidian vs Carbonatite 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 Carbonatite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Obsidian and Properties of Carbonatite. Learn more about Obsidian vs Carbonatite in the next section. The interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Carbonatite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Obsidian and Carbonatite, 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 Carbonatite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Obsidian and Carbonatite

Here you can know more about Obsidian and Carbonatite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Obsidian and Carbonatite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Obsidian includes and mineral content of Carbonatite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Obsidian vs Carbonatite, 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, Carbonatite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Obsidian is Shiny and that of Carbonatite is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Obsidian vs Carbonatite. The hardness of Obsidian is 5-5.5 and that of Carbonatite is 3. The types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian whereas types of Carbonatite are Carbonatite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Obsidian and Carbonatite is white. The specific heat capacity of Obsidian is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Carbonatite is 0.51 kJ/Kg K. 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 Carbonatite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.