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Tuff
Tuff

Obsidian
Obsidian



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Tuff vs Obsidian

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Definition

Definition

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth

History

Origin

Italy
Ethiopia

Discoverer

Unknown
Obsius

Etymology

From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic
Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic
Glassy

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
-

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

-
Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

Types

Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

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.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chlorite
-

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-65-5.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
-

Fracture

Uneven
Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull
Vitreous

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm20.15 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
-

Specific Gravity

2.732.6-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent

Density

1-1.8 g/cm32.6 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact 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
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
Kenya

Europe

France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand

Tuff vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian Reserves. Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian information and Tuff vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Tuff vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tuff and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Tuff vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Tuff include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tuff and Obsidian, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tuff in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate and that of Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Tuff and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Tuff and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tuff and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite and mineral content of Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tuff vs Obsidian, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tuff vs Obsidian. The hardness of Tuff is 4-6 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite. whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Tuff and Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Tuff is 0.20 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian is 0.92 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 Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.