Obsidian

Granulite

Obsidian vs Granulite

Obsidian

Granulite

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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

Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.

History

Origin

Ethiopia

Central Europe

Discoverer

Obsius

Unknown

Etymology

From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy

Granoblastic

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Black, Brown

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Shiny

Veined or Pebbled

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones

Types

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

Metamorphic rock

Features

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

Clasts are smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

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.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz

Compound Content

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

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.56-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²175.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.8-3.0

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm³3.06-3.33 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.14 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Kenya

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

Obsidian vs Granulite 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 Granulite 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. Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.. 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 Granulite information and Obsidian vs Granulite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Obsidian 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. Obsidian vs Granulite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Obsidian and Properties of Granulite. Learn more about Obsidian vs Granulite in the next section. The interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates 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 Obsidian and Granulite, 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 Granulite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls.

More about Obsidian and Granulite

Here you can know more about Obsidian and Granulite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Obsidian and Granulite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Obsidian includes 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 Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Obsidian vs Granulite, 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, Granulite is available in black, brown colors. Appearance of Obsidian is Shiny and that of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Obsidian vs Granulite. The hardness of Obsidian is 5-5.5 and that of Granulite is 6-7. The types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian whereas types of Granulite are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Obsidian and Granulite is white. The specific heat capacity of Obsidian is 0.92 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.Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant.