Definition
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Origin
Pennines, England
Italy
Discoverer
J.J. Ferber
Unknown
Etymology
From Grit + Stone
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy
Clastic, Pyroclastic
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Brown, Grey, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Layered and Foliated
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building 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
Construction Aggregate, Roadstone
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones
Creating Artwork
Types
Not Available
Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Formation
Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.
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.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Calcite, Chlorite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Vitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Perfect
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.250
2.73
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.2 g/cm3
1-1.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Greenland
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
South America
Brazil
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
Gritstone vs Tuff 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. Gritstone vs Tuff characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gritstone and Properties of Tuff. Learn more about Gritstone vs Tuff in the next section. The interior uses of Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Tuff include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gritstone and Tuff, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gritstone in construction industry include Construction aggregate, Roadstone and that of Tuff include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate.
More about Gritstone and Tuff
Here you can know more about Gritstone and Tuff. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gritstone and Tuff consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Gritstone vs Tuff, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors. Appearance of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated and that of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gritstone vs Tuff. The hardness of Gritstone is 6-7 and that of Tuff is 4-6. The types of Gritstone are Not Available whereas types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gritstone and Tuff is white. The specific heat capacity of Gritstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Tuff is 0.20 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gritstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Tuff is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.
