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
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
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
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
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
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
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
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
-
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