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Tuff
Tuff

Rhyolite
Rhyolite



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Tuff vs Rhyolite

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Definition

Definition

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

History

Origin

Italy
North America

Discoverer

Unknown
Ferdinand von Richthofen

Etymology

From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic
Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow
Grey, White, Light Black

Maintenance

More
More

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
-

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

Types

Types

Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

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.
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chlorite
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional 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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-66-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven
Sub-conchoidal

Streak

White
-

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull
Earthy

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm2140.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
2

Specific Gravity

2.732.65-2.67
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

1-1.8 g/cm32.4-2.6 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear 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
China, India

Africa

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

Europe

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

Others

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
Canada, USA

South America

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Tuff vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite Reserves. Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. 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 Rhyolite information and Tuff vs Rhyolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Tuff and Rhyolite

Here you can know more about Tuff and Rhyolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tuff and Rhyolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite and mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tuff vs Rhyolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas, Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. Appearance of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Rhyolite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tuff vs Rhyolite. The hardness of Tuff is 4-6 and that of Rhyolite is 6-7. The types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite. whereas types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.. 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 Rhyolite is . The specific heat capacity of Tuff is 0.20 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhyolite is 0.71 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 Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.