Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
From old English cealc chalk, lime, plaster; pebble, from Greek khalix small pebble, in English transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic
Clastic or Non-Clastic
Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow
Grey, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Soft
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, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Powder
Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork
Alumina Refineries, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Paper Industry, Production of Lime, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Whiting, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
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
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
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.
Chalk is formed from lime mud, which accumulates on the sea floor which is then transformed into rock by geological processes.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand
Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Ca, NaCl, CaO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Uneven
Not Available
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Dull
Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Non-Existent
Toughness
Not Available
1
Specific Gravity
2.73
2.3-2.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1-1.8 g/cm3
2.49-2.50 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat 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
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
Tuff vs Chalk Characteristics
Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Tuff vs Chalk characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tuff and Properties of Chalk. Learn more about Tuff vs Chalk in the next section. The interior uses of Tuff include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Chalk include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tuff and Chalk, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tuff in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate and that of Chalk include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium.
More about Tuff and Chalk
Here you can know more about Tuff and Chalk. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tuff and Chalk consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite and mineral content of Chalk includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tuff vs Chalk, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas, Chalk is available in grey, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Chalk is Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tuff vs Chalk. The hardness of Tuff is 4-6 and that of Chalk is 1. The types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite. whereas types of Chalk are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Tuff and Chalk is white. The specific heat capacity of Tuff is 0.20 kJ/Kg K and that of Chalk is 0.90 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Tuff is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Chalk is heat resistant.