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Adakite vs Anorthosite


Anorthosite vs Adakite


Definition

Definition
Adakite is an intermediate to felsic volcanic rock that has geochemical characteristics of magma which is said to be formed by partial melting of altered basalt that is subducted below volcanic arcs  
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase  

History
  
  

Origin
Adak, Aleutian Islands  
-  

Discoverer
Defant and Drummond  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Adak, Aleutian Islands  
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
Plutonic  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Porphyritic  
Foliated, Glassy  

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey  
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Dull and Soft  
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  

Other Architectural Uses
Whetstones  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Commemorative Tablets, Pottery, Used in aquariums  
Creating Artwork, Curling  

Types

Types
Intermediate volcanic rock  
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite  

Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Host rock for Diamond, Very fine grained rock  
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Adakite rocks are formed when the hydrous fluids are released from minerals that break down in metamorphosed basalt, and rise into the mantle they initiate partial melting.  
Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene  
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene  

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide  
Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4  
5-6  

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Irregular  

Streak
Bluish Black  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous  
Pearly to Subvitreous  

Compressive Strength
200.00 N/mm2  
13
180.00 N/mm2  
18

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
-  

Specific Gravity
-9999  
2.62-2.82  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
2.7-4 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India, Russia  
-  

Africa
Ethiopia, Somalia, South Africa  
-  

Europe
Iceland  
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada  

South America
Brazil  
Bolivia, Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia  

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Adakite vs Anorthosite 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 Adakite and Anorthosite Reserves. Adakite is an intermediate to felsic volcanic rock that has geochemical characteristics of magma which is said to be formed by partial melting of altered basalt that is subducted below volcanic arcs. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. 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 Adakite vs Anorthosite information and Adakite vs Anorthosite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Adakite vs Anorthosite 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. Adakite vs Anorthosite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Adakite and Properties of Anorthosite. Learn more about Adakite vs Anorthosite in the next section. The interior uses of Adakite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Anorthosite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Adakite and Anorthosite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Adakite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Anorthosite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate.

More about Adakite and Anorthosite

Here you can know more about Adakite and Anorthosite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Adakite and Anorthosite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Adakite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Adakite vs Anorthosite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Adakite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Adakite is Dull and Soft and that of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Adakite vs Anorthosite. The hardness of Adakite is 3-4 and that of Anorthosite is 5-6. The types of Adakite are Intermediate volcanic rock whereas types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Adakite is bluish black while that of Anorthosite is white. The specific heat capacity of Adakite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Adakite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant.

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