Obsidian

Sandstone

Obsidian vs Sandstone

Obsidian

Sandstone

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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

Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Ethiopia

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Obsius

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

From its composition, sand and stone

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary 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, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Glassy

Clastic, Granular, Rough

2.2 Color

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

Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Shiny

Rough

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration

As Building Stone, As Facing 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

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Surgery

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister

4.2 Features

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

Abu Simbel in Egypt, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Dom in Berlin, Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, India Gate in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Khajuraho Temples, India, Leh Palace in Leh, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Luxor Temple in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Petra in Jordan, Qutb Minar in India, Red Fort in Delhi, India, Sanchi Stupa in India

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US

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

Present

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.

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock which forms from cemented sand-sized clasts. It forms when sand layers are buried under sediments of sand.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Not Available

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

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, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

5-5.56-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Not Applicable

Coarse or Fine

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²95.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

2.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.2-2.8

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.6 g/cm³2.2-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Uzbekistan

7.1.2 Africa

Kenya

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

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

New South Wales, New Zealand

Obsidian vs Sandstone 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 Sandstone 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. Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded. 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 Sandstone information and Obsidian vs Sandstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Obsidian vs Sandstone 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 Sandstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Obsidian and Properties of Sandstone. Learn more about Obsidian vs Sandstone in the next section. The interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Sandstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Obsidian and Sandstone, 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 Sandstone include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Obsidian and Sandstone

Here you can know more about Obsidian and Sandstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Obsidian and Sandstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Obsidian is not available and mineral content of Sandstone includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all . When we have to compare Obsidian vs Sandstone, 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, Sandstone is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Obsidian is Shiny and that of Sandstone is Rough. Properties of rock is another aspect for Obsidian vs Sandstone. The hardness of Obsidian is 5-5.5 and that of Sandstone is 6-7. The types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian whereas types of Sandstone are Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Obsidian and Sandstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Obsidian is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Sandstone is 0.92 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 Sandstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.