Rhyolite

Pumice

Rhyolite vs Pumice

Rhyolite

Pumice

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

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

Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

North America

Spain

1.2.2 Discoverer

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Volcanic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Vesicular

2.2 Color

Grey, White, Light Black

Beige, Colourless, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey

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

Banded

Vesicular

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Not Yet Used

Curbing, Powder

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Scoria

4.2 Features

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

Host Rock for Lead

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

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.

Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact 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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

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

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-76

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Sub-conchoidal

Planar

6.1.4 Streak

Colorless

White, Greenish White or Grey

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Earthy

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²51.20 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.65-2.672.86

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.4-2.6 g/cm³0.25-0.3 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NA0.87 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure 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

Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, 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, Western Australia

Rhyolite vs Pumice 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 Pumice Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. 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 Pumice information and Rhyolite vs Pumice characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Rhyolite vs Pumice 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 Pumice characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Pumice. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Pumice in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Pumice, 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 Pumice include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks.

More about Rhyolite and Pumice

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Pumice. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Pumice consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Pumice, 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, Pumice is available in beige, colourless, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Pumice is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Pumice. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Pumice is 6. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Pumice are Scoria. 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 Pumice is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is Not Available and that of Pumice is 0.87 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 Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant.