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Tonalite vs Felsite


Felsite vs Tonalite


Definition

Definition
Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture   
Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition   

History
  
  

Origin
Tonale, Italy   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Tonale Pass, northern Italy, + -ite1   
From English feldspar and -ite   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Phaneritic   
Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous   

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White   
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Banded and Foilated   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   
Paving Stone, Garden Decoration   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Surgery   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   
Mirror, Jewelry   

Types

Types
Dacite   
Not Available   

Features
Is one of the oldest rock, Typically speckled black and white.   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
When alkali feldspar is extracted from granite, it changes to granitoid and later, it becomes tonalite with quartz as major mineral.   
Felsite 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.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon   
Feldspar, Iron Oxides   

Compound Content
NaCl, CaO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
5-5.5   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Bluish Black   
White   

Porosity
Very Less Porous   
Very Less Porous   

Luster
Subvitreous to Dull   
Vitreous   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
0.15 N/mm2   
33

Cleavage
Not Available   
Non-Existent   

Toughness
2.1   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.86-3   
2.6-2.7   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent   

Density
2.73 g/cm3   
2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Not Yet Found   
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia   

Africa
Egypt   
Kenya   

Europe
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey   
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, Mexico, USA   

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru   
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia   
New Zealand   

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Tonalite vs Felsite 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 Tonalite and Felsite Reserves. Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture. Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition. 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 Tonalite vs Felsite information and Tonalite vs Felsite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Tonalite vs Felsite 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. Tonalite vs Felsite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tonalite and Properties of Felsite. Learn more about Tonalite vs Felsite in the next section. The interior uses of Tonalite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tonalite and Felsite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tonalite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Felsite include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Tonalite and Felsite

Here you can know more about Tonalite and Felsite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tonalite and Felsite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tonalite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon and mineral content of Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tonalite vs Felsite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tonalite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors whereas, Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Tonalite is Banded and Foilated and that of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tonalite vs Felsite. The hardness of Tonalite is 6-7 and that of Felsite is 5-5.5. The types of Tonalite are Dacite whereas types of Felsite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Tonalite is bluish black while that of Felsite is white. The specific heat capacity of Tonalite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Felsite 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.Tonalite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant whereas Felsite is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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