Diatomite

Marble

Diatomite vs Marble

Diatomite

Marble

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth

Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Germany

Egypt

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From diatom + -ite1

From the Greek marmaros, shining stone and also from the English word marmoreal meaning marble-like

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Granular

2.2 Color

Grey, White, Yellow

Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Pink, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Non-Durable

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

81% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

42% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

15% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Soft

Veined and Shiny

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium

As Dimension Stone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Alumina Refineries, Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Fire resistant, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Soil Conditioner, To ignite fire, Used as a filter medium, Used as an insecticide, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Paper Industry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble

4.2 Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Capitol Hill Building, Washington DC, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Ephesus in Turkey, Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Louvre in Paris, France, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Parthenon in Greece, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Qutb Minar in India, Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower of Pisa, Italy, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India, Washington Monument, US

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Bust of Artemis, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Lincoln Memorial in America

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

Used

4.4 Fossils

Present

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Diatomite rock formed from the skeletal remains of single celled plants called diatoms. When diatoms die, their skeletal remains sink to the bottom of lakes and oceans etc. hence forming diatomite deposit.

Marble is a metamorphic rock produced from limestone in the earth crust. It is formed by the metamorphism of limestone.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand

Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

Ca, NaCl, CaO

CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

50% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Impact Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

77% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3-4

6.1.2 Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

115.00 N/mm²

Rank: 18 (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.3-2.4

2.86-2.87

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.49-2.51 g/cm³

2.4-2.7 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

0.90 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 12 (Overall)▶

0.88 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 13 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

China, India

7.1.2 Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Namibia

7.1.3 Europe

England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

Italy, Spain

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

Not Yet Found

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Not Yet Found

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria

Diatomite vs Marble 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 Diatomite and Marble Reserves. Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth. Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time. 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 Diatomite vs Marble information and Diatomite vs Marble characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Diatomite vs Marble 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. Diatomite vs Marble characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diatomite and Properties of Marble. Learn more about Diatomite vs Marble in the next section. The interior uses of Diatomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Marble include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads. Due to some exceptional properties of Diatomite and Marble, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Diatomite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium and that of Marble include As dimension stone.

More about Diatomite and Marble

Here you can know more about Diatomite and Marble. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diatomite and Marble consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diatomite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand and mineral content of Marble includes Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Diatomite vs Marble, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Diatomite is available in grey, white, yellow colors whereas, Marble is available in black, blue, brown, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Diatomite is Soft and that of Marble is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diatomite vs Marble. The hardness of Diatomite is 1 and that of Marble is 3-4. The types of Diatomite are Not Available whereas types of Marble are Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Diatomite and Marble is white. The specific heat capacity of Diatomite is 0.90 kJ/Kg K and that of Marble is 0.88 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Diatomite is heat resistant whereas Marble is heat resistant.