Tuff and Chalk

Tuff

Chalk

Chalk and Tuff

Definition

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption

Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers

History

Origin

Italy

Unknown

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff

From old English cealc chalk, lime, plaster; pebble, from Greek khalix small pebble, in English transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Not Applicable

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow

Grey, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated

Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Powder

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium

Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork

Alumina Refineries, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Paper Industry, Production of Lime, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Whiting, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Types

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

Not Available

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust

Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Used

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean

Data Not Available

Sculpture

Used

Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Pictographs

Used

Petroglyphs

Used

Figurines

Used

Fossils

Absent

Present

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.

Chalk is formed from lime mud, which accumulates on the sea floor which is then transformed into rock by geological processes.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chlorite

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide

Ca, NaCl, CaO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Yes

Types of Metamorphism

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

Not Applicable

Weathering

Yes

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

Yes

Types of Erosion

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

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-6

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Uneven

Not Available

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Dull

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm²

Not Available

Cleavage

Not Available

Non-Existent

Toughness

Not Available

Specific Gravity

2.73

2.3-2.4

Transparency

Opaque

Density

1-1.8 g/cm³

2.49-2.50 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K

0.90 kJ/Kg K

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat 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

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa

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

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Europe

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

England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

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

Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

Summary >>

<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Chalk Properties

Know all about Tuff and Chalk properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff belongs to Igneous Rocks while Chalk belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Chalk is Clastic or Non-Clastic. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Chalk appears Soft. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Chalk is dull. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Chalk is available in grey, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Chalk are alumina refineries, creating artwork, drawing on blackboards, gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, in aquifers, paper industry, production of lime, raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, soil conditioner, whiting, whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper.