Quartzite

Rhyolite

Quartzite vs Rhyolite

Quartzite

Rhyolite

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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

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

North America

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

Ferdinand von Richthofen

1.3 Etymology

From quartz + -ite

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

Volcanic

1.6 Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Foliated, Granular

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

2.2 Color

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

Grey, White, Light Black

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

Lustrous

Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

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

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

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

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

4.2 Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

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

Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic 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, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-76-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium Grained

Large and Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Sub-conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Colorless

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous

Earthy

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²140.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Indiscernible

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

1.9

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.82.65-2.67

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm³2.4-2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.75 kJ/Kg KNA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

China, India

7.1.2 Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

7.1.4 Others

Greenland

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Bahamas, Canada, USA

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Quartzite vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite Reserves. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. 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 Rhyolite information and Quartzite vs Rhyolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Quartzite vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Quartzite and Properties of Rhyolite. Learn more about Quartzite vs Rhyolite in the next section. The interior uses of Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes whereas the interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Quartzite and Rhyolite, 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 Rhyolite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives.

More about Quartzite and Rhyolite

Here you can know more about Quartzite and Rhyolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Quartzite and Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Quartzite vs Rhyolite, 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, Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. Appearance of Quartzite is Lustrous and that of Rhyolite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Quartzite vs Rhyolite. Hardness of Quartzite and Rhyolite is 6-7. The types of Quartzite are Not Available whereas types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.. 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 Rhyolite is colorless. The specific heat capacity of Quartzite is 0.75 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhyolite is Not Available. 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 Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.