Variolite

Soapstone

Variolite vs Soapstone

Variolite

Soapstone

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

France

USA

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From Latin varius, speckled, variegated

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Volcanic

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Polished

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

81% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

42% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

15% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Dull and Soft

Dull, Banded and Foilated

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

4.2 Features

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Host Rock for Lead

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks that exhibit pale colored spots on weathered surfaces that give them a pockmarked appearance.

Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

CaO, Mg, MgO

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

50% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

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

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Not Applicable

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

77% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Not Applicable

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6.1.2 Grain Size

Not Applicable

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White to Grey

Black

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Not Available

Greasy

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

⊕

▶

▼

37.50 N/mm²

Rank: 27 (Overall)▶

225.00 N/mm²

Rank: 7 (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

2.3

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.8-3

2.86

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³

2.8-2.9 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

0.84 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 15 (Overall)▶

0.88 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 13 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

India, Russia

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

7.1.2 Africa

South Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Iceland

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil

Colombia

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Not Yet Found

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

Variolite vs Soapstone 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 Variolite and Soapstone Reserves. Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. 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 Variolite vs Soapstone information and Variolite vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Variolite vs Soapstone 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. Variolite vs Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Variolite and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Variolite vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Variolite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Variolite and Soapstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Variolite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Variolite and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Variolite and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Variolite and Soapstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Variolite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Variolite vs Soapstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Variolite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Variolite is Dull and Soft and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Variolite vs Soapstone. The hardness of Variolite is 6 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Variolite are Not Available whereas types of Soapstone are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Variolite is white to grey while that of Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Variolite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Soapstone 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.Variolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.