Quartzite

Gritstone

Quartzite vs Gritstone

Quartzite

Gritstone

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

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

Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Pennines, England

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

J.J. Ferber

1.3 Etymology

From quartz + -ite

From Grit + Stone

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Foliated, Granular

Earthy

2.2 Color

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

✔ ✘

81% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

42% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

19% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

15% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Lustrous

Layered and Foliated

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

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

Construction Aggregate, Roadstone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

4.2 Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

Present

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

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

Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

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

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

50% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

77% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium Grained

Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

115.00 N/mm²

Rank: 18 (Overall)▶

70.00 N/mm²

Rank: 24 (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

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▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Indiscernible

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

1.9

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.8

2.250

6.1.11 Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm³

2.2 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

0.75 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 18 (Overall)▶

0.92 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 10 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

7.1.2 Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

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

7.1.4 Others

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Bahamas, Canada, USA

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Brazil

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Quartzite vs Gritstone 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 Quartzite and Gritstone Reserves. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous 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 Quartzite vs Gritstone information and Quartzite vs Gritstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Quartzite vs Gritstone 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. Quartzite vs Gritstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Quartzite and Properties of Gritstone. Learn more about Quartzite vs Gritstone in the next section. The interior uses of Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes whereas the interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Quartzite and Gritstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Quartzite in construction industry 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 and that of Gritstone include Construction aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Quartzite and Gritstone

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