×

Quartzite
Quartzite

Novaculite
Novaculite



ADD
Compare
X
Quartzite
X
Novaculite

Quartzite vs Novaculite

Definition

Definition

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone
Novaculite is a dense, hard, fine-grained, siliceous metamorpic rock which is a type of chert that breaks with conchoidal fracture

History

Origin

-
-

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From quartz + -ite
From Latin word novacula, for razor stone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Foliated, Granular
Banded, Glassy, Rough, Vitreous

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Lustrous
Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

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
Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone, Spear Points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

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
Cemetery Markers, Gemstone, In aquifers, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, Manufacture of tools, Pebbles are used in ball mills to grind in ceramics industry, To determine the gold content of jewelry

Types

Types

Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite
Sedimentary rock

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Present

Formation

Formation

Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.
Novaculite forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The formation of Novaculite can be either of chemical or biological origin.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

White
-

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous
Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm2450.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Indiscernible
-

Toughness

1.9
1.5

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.82.5-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent
Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm32.7 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.75 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey
China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

England, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United Kingdom
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Bahamas, Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Bolivia, Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Quartzite vs Novaculite 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 Novaculite Reserves. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. Novaculite is a dense, hard, fine-grained, siliceous metamorpic rock which is a type of chert that breaks with conchoidal fracture. 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 Novaculite information and Quartzite vs Novaculite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Quartzite vs Novaculite 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 Novaculite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Quartzite and Properties of Novaculite. Learn more about Quartzite vs Novaculite in the next section. The interior uses of Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes whereas the interior uses of Novaculite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Quartzite and Novaculite, 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 Novaculite include Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone, Spear points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons.

More about Quartzite and Novaculite

Here you can know more about Quartzite and Novaculite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Quartzite and Novaculite 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 Novaculite includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Quartzite vs Novaculite, 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, Novaculite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Quartzite is Lustrous and that of Novaculite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Quartzite vs Novaculite. The hardness of Quartzite is 6-7 and that of Novaculite is 7. The types of Quartzite are Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite whereas types of Novaculite are Sedimentary rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Quartzite is white while that of Novaculite is . The specific heat capacity of Quartzite is 0.75 kJ/Kg K and that of Novaculite is 0.74 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 Novaculite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.