Tachylite

Pseudotachylite

Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite

Tachylite

Add ⊕

Definition

Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt

Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.

History

Origin

Iceland

USA

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting

From pseudo- +‎ tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Vitreous

Quench

Color

Black, Dark Brown

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Glassy

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Creating Artwork, Gemstone

Types

Volcanic glass

Cataclastic rock

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

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.

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Feldspar, Olivine

Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides

Compound Content

Fe, Mg

Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact 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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5.57

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven

Streak

Vermilion

Light to dark brown

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Resinous

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

206.00 N/mm²60.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.42.46-2.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Transparent to Translucent

Density

3.058 g/cm³2.7-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.56 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Cambodia, Russia, South Korea

South Korea

Africa

East Africa

Western Africa

Europe

England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden

Great Britain, Switzerland

Others

Hawaii Islands

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

South America

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Victoria

Central Australia, Western Australia

Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite 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 Tachylite and Pseudotachylite Reserves. Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt. Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.. 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 Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite information and Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks » More

Tachylite vs Rhyodacite

Tachylite vs Picrite

Tachylite vs Pumice

» More Compare Igneous Rocks

Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tachylite and Properties of Pseudotachylite. Learn more about Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite in the next section. The interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Pseudotachylite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tachylite and Pseudotachylite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tachylite in construction industry include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers and that of Pseudotachylite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement.

More about Tachylite and Pseudotachylite

Here you can know more about Tachylite and Pseudotachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tachylite and Pseudotachylite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine and mineral content of Pseudotachylite includes Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas, Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Tachylite is Glassy and that of Pseudotachylite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tachylite vs Pseudotachylite. The hardness of Tachylite is 5.5 and that of Pseudotachylite is 7. The types of Tachylite are Volcanic glass whereas types of Pseudotachylite are Cataclastic rock. 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 Pseudotachylite is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Tachylite is 0.56 kJ/Kg K and that of Pseudotachylite 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.Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant whereas Pseudotachylite is heat resistant.