Home
Compare Rocks


Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation


Banded iron formation vs Rhyolite


Definition

Definition
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica   
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age   

History
  
  

Origin
North America   
Western Australia, Minnesota   

Discoverer
Ferdinand von Richthofen   
Unknown   

Etymology
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone   
From its formation process   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic   
Banded, Trellis   

Color
Grey, White, Light Black   
Red, Reddish Brown   

Maintenance
More   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Banded   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens   
Decorative Aggregates, Homes   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives   
As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry   
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.   
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite   

Features
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors   
Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.   
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz   

Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium   
Fe, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Chemical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Large and Coarse Grained   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Sub-conchoidal   
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal   

Streak
Colorless   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Earthy   
Earthy   

Compressive Strength
140.00 N/mm2   
15
Not Available   

Cleavage
Not Available   
Imperfect   

Toughness
2   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
2.65-2.67   
5.0-5.3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
2.4-2.6 g/cm3   
Not Available   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
3.20 kJ/Kg K   
1

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India   
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam   

Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain   
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, Mexico, USA   

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela   
Bolivia, Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
<< All

Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation 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 Rhyolite and Banded iron formation Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age. 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 Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation information and Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation 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. Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Banded iron formation. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Banded iron formation include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Banded iron formation, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Rhyolite in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives and that of Banded iron formation include As dimension stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Rhyolite and Banded iron formation

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Banded iron formation. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Banded iron formation consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Banded iron formation includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors whereas, Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Banded iron formation is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Banded iron formation. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Banded iron formation is 5.5-6. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Banded iron formation are Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Rhyolite is colorless while that of Banded iron formation is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is Not Available and that of Banded iron formation is 3.20 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Banded iron formation is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks