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Travertine
Travertine

Obsidian
Obsidian



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Travertine
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Obsidian

Travertine vs Obsidian

Definition

Definition

Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth

History

Origin

Italy
Ethiopia

Discoverer

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Obsius

Etymology

From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Banded
Glassy

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Fibrous
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
-

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

-
Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

Types

Thermal Travertine and Tufa
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Features

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Absent

Formation

Formation

Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
-

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-45-5.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
-

Fracture

Splintery
Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly
Vitreous

Compressive Strength

80.00 N/mm20.15 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1
-

Specific Gravity

1.682.6-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent

Density

2.71 g/cm32.6 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.09 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Russia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

-
Kenya

Europe

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
New Zealand

Travertine vs Obsidian 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 Travertine and Obsidian Reserves. Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Travertine vs Obsidian information and Travertine vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Travertine and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Travertine and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Travertine and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Travertine vs Obsidian, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Travertine is Fibrous and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Travertine vs Obsidian. The hardness of Travertine is 3-4 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Travertine are Thermal Travertine and Tufa whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Travertine and Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Travertine is 1.09 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian 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.Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.