Home
Compare Rocks


Tuff and Harzburgite


Harzburgite and Tuff


Definition

Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption   
Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and olivine   

History
  
  

Origin
Italy   
Germany   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff   
From the name of a town in Harzburg, Germany   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Plutonic   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic   
Phaneritic   

Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow   
Dark Greenish - Grey   

Maintenance
More   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated   
Rough and Shiny   

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, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate   
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork   
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds   

Types

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   
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   

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   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
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.   
Harzburgite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite   
Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide   
Ca, Fe, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

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

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, Sea Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-6   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Uneven   
Irregular   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Vitreous to Dull   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2   
5
Not Available   

Cleavage
Not Available   
Imperfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.1   

Specific Gravity
2.73   
3-3.01   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
1-1.8 g/cm3   
3.1-3.4 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K   
25
1.25 kJ/Kg K   
6

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   
Japan, Oman   

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

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

Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands   
Hawaii Islands, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia   
Not Yet Found   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Harzburgite Properties

Know all about Tuff and Harzburgite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff and Harzburgite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Harzburgite is Phaneritic. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Harzburgite appears Rough and Shiny. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Harzburgite is shiny. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Harzburgite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Harzburgite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks