Tuff and Quartzite

Tuff

Quartzite

Quartzite and Tuff

Definition

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

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone

History

Origin

Italy

Unknown

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From quartz + -ite

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Not Applicable

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic

Foliated, Granular

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Light Grey, Purple, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Yes

Wind Resistant

Yes

Acid Resistant

Yes

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated

Lustrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

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

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest 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

Not Used

Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

Figurines

Used

Fossils

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.

Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chlorite

Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Yes

Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Yes

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Yes

Types of Erosion

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

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-6

6-7

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm²

115.00 N/mm²

Cleavage

Not Available

Indiscernible

Toughness

Not Available

1.9

Specific Gravity

2.73

2.6-2.8

Transparency

Opaque

Transparent to Translucent

Density

1-1.8 g/cm³

2.32-2.42 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K

0.75 kJ/Kg K

Resistance

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

China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

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

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Europe

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

England, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United Kingdom

Others

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA

Bahamas, Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Summary >>

<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Quartzite Properties

Know all about Tuff and Quartzite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff belongs to Igneous Rocks while Quartzite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Quartzite is Foliated, Granular. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Quartzite appears Lustrous. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Quartzite is vitreous. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Quartzite are an oil and gas reservoir, as armour rock for sea walls, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, in aquifers, laboratory bench tops, petroleum reservoirs, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones, used in aquariums.