Tuff and Trachyte

Tuff

Trachyte

Trachyte and Tuff

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

Unknown

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

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic

Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Yes

Wind Resistant

Yes

Acid Resistant

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

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

Not Yet Used

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable

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

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

Types of Metamorphism

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

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-6

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Not Available

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Metallic

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm²

150.00 N/mm²

Cleavage

Not Available

Toughness

Not Available

Specific Gravity

2.73

2.7

Transparency

Opaque

Density

1-1.8 g/cm³

2.43-2.45 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K

Not Available

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

Not Yet Found

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.