Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Essexite which is also known as nepheline monzogabbro, is a dark gray or black holocrystalline plutonic Iigneous Rock
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
From the locality in Essex County, Massachusetts,US
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic
Granular
Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow
Dark Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Banded
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, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
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
Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
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.
Essexite is a type of igneous rock, which is usually dark grey to black plutonic rock. For the formation of essexite, suitable magma with exact composition of K, Ba, Rb, Cs, Sr should be produced.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite
Augite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Nepheline, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, Ba, Ca, Cs, Potassium, Rb, Sodium, Sr
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
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
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Dull
Not Available
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
1.6
Specific Gravity
2.73
Not Available
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1-1.8 g/cm3
Not Available
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear 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
India, Russia
Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
South Africa
Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
Tuff vs Essexite 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 Essexite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tuff and Properties of Essexite . Learn more about Tuff vs Essexite in the next section. The interior uses of Tuff include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Essexite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tuff and Essexite , they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tuff in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate and that of Essexite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Tuff and Essexite
Here you can know more about Tuff and Essexite . The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tuff and Essexite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite and mineral content of Essexite includes Augite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Nepheline, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tuff vs Essexite , the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas, Essexite is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Essexite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tuff vs Essexite . The hardness of Tuff is 4-6 and that of Essexite is 7. The types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite. whereas types of Essexite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Tuff is white while that of Essexite is black. The specific heat capacity of Tuff is 0.20 kJ/Kg K and that of Essexite is Not Available. 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 Essexite is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.