Rhyolite

Scoria

Rhyolite vs Scoria

Rhyolite

Scoria

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Definition

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

Scoria is a dark-colored extrusive igneous rock with abundant round bubble-like cavities

History

Origin

North America

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Unknown

Etymology

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

From late Middle English (denoting slag from molten metal), from Greek skōria refuse, from skōr dung

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Vesicular

Color

Grey, White, Light Black

Black, Brown, Dark Grey to Black, Red

Maintenance

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Banded

Glassy and Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and drainage works

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

As a traction material on snow-covered roads, Creating Artwork, High-temperature insulation, In gas barbecue grills

Types

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

Basaltic Scoria and Andesitic Scoria

Features

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Surfaces are often shiny

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

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.

Scoria forms when magma containing huge amount of dissolved gas flows from a volcano during an eruption.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

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

Ca, NaCl

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-75-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Sub-conchoidal

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Earthy

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.67-9999

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.6 g/cm³-9999 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

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

Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA

South America

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

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Rhyolite vs Scoria 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 Scoria Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Scoria is a dark-colored extrusive igneous rock with abundant round bubble-like cavities. 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 Scoria information and Rhyolite vs Scoria characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Rhyolite vs Scoria 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 Scoria characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Scoria. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Scoria in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Scoria include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Scoria, 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 Scoria include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, In landscaping and drainage works.

More about Rhyolite and Scoria

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Scoria. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Scoria consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Scoria includes Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Scoria, 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, Scoria is available in black, brown, dark grey to black, red colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Scoria is Glassy and Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Scoria. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Scoria is 5-6. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Scoria are Basaltic Scoria and Andesitic Scoria. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Rhyolite is while that of Scoria is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Scoria is 0.84 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 Scoria is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.