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Tuff and Amphibolite


Amphibolite and Tuff


Definition

Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption   
Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase   

History
  
  

Origin
Italy   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Alexandre Brongniart   

Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff   
From Amphibole + -ite   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic   
Banded, Foliated, Massive   

Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow   
Black, Brown, Green, Grey   

Maintenance
More   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated   
Foliated   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate   
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.   
Hornblendite   

Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust   
Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Tuff is formed when large masses of ash and sand which are mixed with hot gases are ejected by a volcano and avalanche rapidly down its slopes.   
Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite   
Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-6   
6-7   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Medium to Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Uneven   
Irregular to Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Vitreous to Dull   
Vitreous to Dull   

Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2   
5
Not Available   

Cleavage
Not Available   
Irregular   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.3   

Specific Gravity
2.73   
2.5   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
1-1.8 g/cm3   
2.85-3.07 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K   
25
Not Available   

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen   
Russia, Turkey   

Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda   
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda   

Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom   
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland   

Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia   
South Australia, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Amphibolite Properties

Know all about Tuff and Amphibolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff belongs to Igneous Rocks while Amphibolite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Amphibolite is Banded, Foliated, Massive. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Amphibolite appears Foliated. The luster of Tuff and Amphibolite is vitreous to dull. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Amphibolite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork.

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