Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
History
Origin
Italy
Discoverer
Unknown
Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic
Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow
Maintenance
More
Durability
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
81% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
86% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
66% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
49% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
48% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
Medical Industry
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork
Types
Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
Sculpture
-
Famous Sculptures
-
Pictographs
-
Petroglyphs
-
Figurines
-
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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite
Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
97% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
99% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
92% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
4-6
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Streak
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2
Rank: 6 (Overall)
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Toughness
-
Specific Gravity
2.73
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Density
1-1.8 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 32 (Overall)
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
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
Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia