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Tuff
Tuff

Basanite 
Basanite 



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Tuff and Basanite 

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Definition

Definition

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Basanite is a black basaltic rock which mainly contains plagioclase, augite, olivine and nepheline and is formerly used as a touchstone

History

Origin

Italy
-

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

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

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic
Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork
As a touchstone, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

Types

Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.
Nepheline-Basanite, Analcite-Basanite and Leucite-Basanite

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Used as a touchstone

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
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Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

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.
Basanite is a fine-grained, hard rock that forms when bits of lava shoot out of volcanoes.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chlorite
Augite, Feldspar, Ilmenite, Olivine, Plagioclase

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

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

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-67
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull
Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm2100.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
1.5

Specific Gravity

2.732.5-2.8
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

1-1.8 g/cm32.7 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

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

Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
Uganda

Europe

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

Others

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Bolivia, Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

All about Tuff and Basanite  Properties

Know all about Tuff and Basanite  properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff and Basanite  belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Basanite  is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Basanite  appears Glassy or Pearly. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Basanite  is waxy and dull. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Basanite  is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Basanite  are as a touchstone, creating artwork, gemstone, in fire-starting tools, manufacture of tools, metallurgical flux, jewelry, to ignite fire, used in flintlock firearms.