Pumice

Quartzite

Pumice vs Quartzite

Pumice

Quartzite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Spain

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex

From quartz + -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

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Vesicular

Foliated, Granular

2.2 Color

Beige, Colourless, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Light Grey, Purple, 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

Vesicular

Lustrous

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Powder

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

4 Types

4.1 Types

Scoria

Not Available

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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

5 Formation

5.1 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.

Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica

Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

66-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Planar

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White, Greenish White or Grey

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Earthy

Vitreous

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

51.20 N/mm²115.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Perfect

Indiscernible

6.1.9 Toughness

1.9

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.862.6-2.8

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Transparent to Translucent

6.1.12 Density

0.25-0.3 g/cm³2.32-2.42 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.87 kJ/Kg K0.75 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

7.1.2 Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

7.1.3 Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

England, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA

Bahamas, Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Pumice vs Quartzite 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 Pumice and Quartzite Reserves. Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. 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 Pumice vs Quartzite information and Pumice vs Quartzite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Pumice vs Quartzite 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 Quartzite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pumice and Properties of Quartzite. Learn more about Pumice vs Quartzite in the next section. The interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Pumice and Quartzite, 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 Quartzite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Pumice and Quartzite

Here you can know more about Pumice and Quartzite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pumice and Quartzite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica and mineral content of Quartzite includes Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pumice vs Quartzite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pumice is available in beige, colourless, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors whereas, Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Pumice is Vesicular and that of Quartzite is Lustrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pumice vs Quartzite. The hardness of Pumice is 6 and that of Quartzite is 6-7. The types of Pumice are Scoria whereas types of Quartzite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Pumice and Quartzite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Pumice is 0.87 kJ/Kg K and that of Quartzite is 0.75 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 Quartzite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.