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Chert vs Obsidian - What's the difference?

chert | obsidian |

As nouns the difference between chert and obsidian

is that chert is massive, usually dull-colored and opaque, quartzite, hornstone, impure chalcedony, or other flint-like mineral while obsidian is a type of black glass produced by volcanoes.

As an adjective obsidian is

black.

chert

English

Noun

  • (geology, uncountable) Massive, usually dull-colored and opaque, quartzite, hornstone, impure chalcedony, or other flint-like mineral.
  • (countable) A flint-like tool made from chert.

    • Usage notes

    Generally, in mineralogy and geology, a chert does not have a conchoidal fracture. In North American archeology the term chert occasionally is still used for various siliceous minerals (including flint) that have a conchoidal fracture; this leads to confusion between the terms flint and chert in some archeology texts.

    See also

    * chalcedony * flint * jasper * quartzite * silicate

    Anagrams

    *

    obsidian

    English

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (mineral) a type of black glass produced by volcanoes

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (poetic) black