Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vitreous
Banded, Rough
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms
Types
Volcanic glass
Chert and Jasper
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Tachylite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
Silicon
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.4
2.5-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm3
2.7-2.71 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Azerbaijan, China, Russia
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
New Zealand, South Australia
Tachylite vs Flint 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. Tachylite vs Flint characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tachylite and Properties of Flint. Learn more about Tachylite vs Flint in the next section. The interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Flint include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tachylite and Flint, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tachylite in construction industry include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers and that of Flint include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Spear points.
More about Tachylite and Flint
Here you can know more about Tachylite and Flint. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tachylite and Flint consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine and mineral content of Flint includes Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tachylite vs Flint, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas, Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Tachylite is Glassy and that of Flint is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tachylite vs Flint. The hardness of Tachylite is 5.5 and that of Flint is 7. The types of Tachylite are Volcanic glass whereas types of Flint are Chert and Jasper. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Tachylite is vermilion while that of Flint is white. The specific heat capacity of Tachylite is 0.56 kJ/Kg K and that of Flint is 0.74 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant whereas Flint is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.