Definition
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.
Origin
Spain
Central Europe
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex
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
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vesicular
Granoblastic
Color
Beige, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey
Black, Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Vesicular
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Powder
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls
Medical Industry
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
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Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones
Types
Scoria
Metamorphic rock
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Clasts are smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.
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
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz
Compound Content
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, 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
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
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Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Specific Gravity
2.86
2.8-3.0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
0.25-0.3 g/cm3
3.06-3.33 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
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
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
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Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
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Pumice 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. Pumice vs Granulite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pumice and Properties of Granulite. Learn more about Pumice vs Granulite in the next section. The interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes 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 Pumice and Granulite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pumice in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks and that of Granulite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls.
More about Pumice and Granulite
Here you can know more about Pumice and Granulite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pumice and Granulite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica 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 Pumice vs Granulite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pumice is available in beige, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors whereas, Granulite is available in black, brown colors. Appearance of Pumice is Vesicular and that of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pumice vs Granulite. The hardness of Pumice is 6 and that of Granulite is 6-7. The types of Pumice are Scoria 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 Pumice and Granulite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Pumice is 0.87 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.Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant.