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Rhyolite
Rhyolite

Obsidian
Obsidian



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Rhyolite vs Obsidian

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1 Definition
1.1 Definition
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth
1.2 History
1.2.1 Origin
North America
Ethiopia
1.2.2 Discoverer
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Obsius
1.3 Etymology
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius
1.4 Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
1.4.1 Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
1.5 Family
1.5.1 Group
Volcanic
Volcanic
1.6 Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock
2 Texture
2.1 Texture
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic
Glassy
2.2 Color
Grey, White, Light Black
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow
2.3 Maintenance
More
Less
2.4 Durability
Durable
Durable
2.4.1 Water Resistant
81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.2 Scratch Resistant
86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.3 Stain Resistant
66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.4 Wind Resistant
49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.4.5 Acid Resistant
48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
2.5 Appearance
Banded
Shiny
3 Uses
3.1 Architecture
3.1.1 Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
3.1.2 Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
Garden Decoration
3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
3.2 Industry
3.2.1 Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points
3.2.2 Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Surgery
3.3 Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Jewellery
3.4 Other Uses
3.4.1 Commercial Uses
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums
4 Types
4.1 Types
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian
4.2 Features
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression
4.3 Archaeological Significance
4.3.1 Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
4.3.2 Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
4.3.3 Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
4.3.4 Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
4.3.5 Pictographs
Not Used
Used
4.3.6 Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
4.3.7 Figurines
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
4.4 Fossils
Absent
Absent
5 Formation
5.1 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.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.
5.2 Composition
5.2.1 Mineral Content
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Not Available
5.2.2 Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
5.3 Transformation
5.3.1 Metamorphism
97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
5.3.3 Weathering
99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
5.3.4 Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
5.3.5 Erosion
92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
5.3.6 Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
6 Properties
6.1 Physical Properties
6.1.1 Hardness
6-7
5-5.5
6.1.2 Grain Size
Large and Coarse Grained
Not Applicable
6.1.3 Fracture
Sub-conchoidal
Conchoidal
6.1.4 Streak
Colorless
White
6.1.5 Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
6.1.6 Luster
Earthy
Vitreous
6.1.7 Compressive Strength
Flint
140.00 N/mm2
Rank: 15 (Overall)
0.15 N/mm2
Rank: 33 (Overall)
Obsidian
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6.1.8 Cleavage
Not Available
Non-Existent
6.1.9 Toughness
2
Not Available
6.1.10 Specific Gravity
2.65-2.67
2.6-2.7
6.1.11 Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
6.1.12 Density
2.4-2.6 g/cm3
2.6 g/cm3
6.2 Thermal Properties
6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity
Banded iron for..
Not Available
Rank: N/A (Overall)
0.92 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 10 (Overall)
Granulite
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6.2.2 Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
7 Reserves
7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents
7.1.1 Asia
China, India
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
7.1.2 Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Kenya
7.1.3 Europe
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
7.1.4 Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
7.2 Deposits in Western Continents
7.2.1 North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
7.2.2 South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent
7.3.1 Australia
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
New Zealand

Rhyolite vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian information and Rhyolite vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Rhyolite vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Obsidian, 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 Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Rhyolite and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Obsidian is not available. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Obsidian. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. 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 Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is Not Available and that of Obsidian 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.Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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