Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Trachyte is a grey fine-grained volcanic rock which mainly consists of alkali feldspar
Discoverer
Unknown
Alexandre Brongniart and René Just Haüy
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
From Greek trakhus rough’ or trakhutēs roughness
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vitreous
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Black, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, NA
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
Trachyte is an igneous volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. It is the volcanic equivalent of syenite rock and forms as a result of magmatic differentiation.
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
Augite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Quartz
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Cleavage
Not Available
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm3
2.43-2.45 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
East Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Bulgaria, England, Germany, Norway, Romania, Switzerland
Others
Hawaii Islands
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
South America
Not Yet Found
Brazil, Chile
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Tachylite vs Trachyte 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 Trachyte characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tachylite and Properties of Trachyte. Learn more about Tachylite vs Trachyte in the next section. The interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Trachyte include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tachylite and Trachyte, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tachylite in construction industry include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers and that of Trachyte include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.
More about Tachylite and Trachyte
Here you can know more about Tachylite and Trachyte. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tachylite and Trachyte consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine and mineral content of Trachyte includes Augite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tachylite vs Trachyte, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas, Trachyte is available in black, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Tachylite is Glassy and that of Trachyte is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tachylite vs Trachyte. The hardness of Tachylite is 5.5 and that of Trachyte is 6. The types of Tachylite are Not Available whereas types of Trachyte are Not Available. 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 Trachyte is white. The specific heat capacity of Tachylite is 0.56 kJ/Kg K and that of Trachyte is Not Available. 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 Trachyte is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.