Amphibolite

Soapstone

Amphibolite vs Soapstone

Amphibolite

Soapstone

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Definition

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

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

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Alexandre Brongniart

Unknown

Etymology

From Amphibole + -ite

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

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Polished

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Foliated

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

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

Types

Hornblendite

Metamorphic rock

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

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

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

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

Compound Content

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

CaO, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-71

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular to Conchoidal

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Greasy

Compressive Strength

90.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.52.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.85-3.07 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia, Turkey

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

Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

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

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

South Australia, Western Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

Amphibolite 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 Amphibolite and Soapstone Reserves. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. 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 Amphibolite vs Soapstone information and Amphibolite vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Amphibolite 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. Amphibolite vs Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Amphibolite and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Amphibolite vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, 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 Amphibolite and Soapstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Amphibolite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone and that of Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Amphibolite and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Amphibolite and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Amphibolite and Soapstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite 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 Amphibolite vs Soapstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors whereas, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Amphibolite is Foliated and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Amphibolite vs Soapstone. The hardness of Amphibolite is 6-7 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite whereas types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Amphibolite is white to grey while that of Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Amphibolite 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.Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.