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Quartzite
Quartzite

Travertine
Travertine



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Quartzite
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Travertine

Quartzite vs Travertine

Definition

Definition

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters

History

Origin

-
Italy

Discoverer

Unknown
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Etymology

From quartz + -ite
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Foliated, Granular
Banded

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Lustrous
Fibrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

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
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

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, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Types

Types

Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite
Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

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.
Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.

Composition

Mineral Content

Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical 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

6-73-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal
Splintery

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous
Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm280.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Indiscernible
-

Toughness

1.9
1

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.81.68
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent
Opaque

Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm32.71 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.75 kJ/Kg K1.09 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe
-

Europe

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

Others

Greenland
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Bahamas, Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
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Quartzite vs Travertine 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 Travertine Reserves. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters. 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 Travertine information and Quartzite vs Travertine characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Quartzite vs Travertine 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 Travertine characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Quartzite and Properties of Travertine. Learn more about Quartzite vs Travertine in the next section. The interior uses of Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes whereas the interior uses of Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Quartzite and Travertine, 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 Travertine include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Quartzite and Travertine

Here you can know more about Quartzite and Travertine. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Quartzite and Travertine 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 Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Quartzite vs Travertine, 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, Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Quartzite is Lustrous and that of Travertine is Fibrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Quartzite vs Travertine. The hardness of Quartzite is 6-7 and that of Travertine is 3-4. The types of Quartzite are Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite whereas types of Travertine are Thermal Travertine and Tufa. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Quartzite and Travertine is white. The specific heat capacity of Quartzite is 0.75 kJ/Kg K and that of Travertine is 1.09 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 Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.