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Tuff and Diamictite


Diamictite and Tuff


Definition

Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption  
Diamictite is a sedimentary rock that consists of non-sorted to poorly sorted terrigenous sediment containing particles that range in size from clay to boulders, suspended in a matrix of mudstone or sandstone  

History
  
  

Origin
Italy  
Southern Mongolia  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff  
From Greek dia through and meiktós or mixed  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic  
Clastic  

Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow  
Brown, Buff  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated  
Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate  
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork  
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Production of Lime  

Types

Types
Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.  
Bedded Diamictite and Laminated Diamictite  

Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust  
Host Rock for Lead, Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

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.  
Diamictite is unevenly sorted terrigenous, non-calcareous sedimentary rock which forms due to weathering of mudstone and sandstone.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite  
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz  

Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide  
-  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
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  
2-3  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Uneven  
Conchoidal to Uneven  

Streak
White  
Light to dark brown  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Vitreous to Dull  
Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2  
6
-  

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.73  
4.3-5.0  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
1-1.8 g/cm3  
2.2-2.35 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K  
32
0.75 kJ/Kg K  
20

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact 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  
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia  

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

Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom  
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  

Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Diamictite Properties

Know all about Tuff and Diamictite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff belongs to Igneous Rocks while Diamictite belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Diamictite is Clastic. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Diamictite appears Banded. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Diamictite is grainy, pearly and vitreous. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Diamictite is available in brown, buff colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Diamictite are commemorative tablets, creating artwork, production of lime.

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