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Tuff and Trachyte


Trachyte and Tuff


Definition

Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption  
Trachyte is a grey fine-grained volcanic rock which mainly consists of alkali feldspar  

History
  
  

Origin
Italy  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Alexandre Brongniart and René Just Haüy  

Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff  
From Greek trakhus rough’ or trakhutēs roughness  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
Volcanic  

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic  
Aphanitic to Porphyritic  

Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow  
Black, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey, Light to Dark Grey, White  

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  
Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  

Types

Types
Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.  
Felsic volcanic rock  

Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

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

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

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.  
Trachyte is an igneous volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. It is the volcanic equivalent of syenite rock and forms as a result of magmatic differentiation.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite  
Augite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Quartz  

Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide  
Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

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

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological 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, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-6  
6  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Uneven  
-  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Vitreous to Dull  
Metallic  

Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2  
6
150.00 N/mm2  
22

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.73  
2.7  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
1-1.8 g/cm3  
2.43-2.45 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K  
32
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact 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, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  

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

Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom  
Bulgaria, England, Germany, Norway, Romania, Switzerland  

Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA  
USA  

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia  
New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Trachyte Properties

Know all about Tuff and Trachyte properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff and Trachyte belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Trachyte is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Trachyte appears Banded. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Trachyte is metallic. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Trachyte is available in black, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey, light to dark grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Trachyte are cemetery markers, creating artwork.

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