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Tuff vs Diatomite


Diatomite vs Tuff


Definition

Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption   
Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth   

History
  
  

Origin
Italy   
Germany   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff   
From diatom + -ite1   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic   
Clastic or Non-Clastic   

Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow   
Grey, White, Yellow   

Maintenance
More   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Non-Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated   
Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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   
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork   
Alumina Refineries, Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Fire resistant, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Soil Conditioner, To ignite fire, Used as a filter medium, Used as an insecticide, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper   

Types

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
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Present   

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.   
Diatomite rock formed from the skeletal remains of single celled plants called diatoms. When diatoms die, their skeletal remains sink to the bottom of lakes and oceans etc. hence forming diatomite deposit.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite   
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand   

Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide   
Ca, NaCl, CaO   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

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, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
4-6   
1   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Uneven   
Not Available   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Vitreous to Dull   
Dull   

Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2   
5
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   
2.49-2.51 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K   
25
0.90 kJ/Kg K   
12

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat 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   
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   

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Tuff vs Diatomite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Tuff and Diatomite Reserves. Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Tuff vs Diatomite information and Tuff vs Diatomite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Tuff vs Diatomite 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 Diatomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tuff and Properties of Diatomite. Learn more about Tuff vs Diatomite in the next section. The interior uses of Tuff include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diatomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tuff and Diatomite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tuff in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate and that of Diatomite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium.

More about Tuff and Diatomite

Here you can know more about Tuff and Diatomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tuff and Diatomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite and mineral content of Diatomite 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 Diatomite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas, Diatomite is available in grey, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Diatomite is Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tuff vs Diatomite. The hardness of Tuff is 4-6 and that of Diatomite is 1. The types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite. whereas types of Diatomite 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 Diatomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Tuff is 0.20 kJ/Kg K and that of Diatomite 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 Diatomite is heat resistant.

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