Definition
Andesite is a dark, fine-grained, brown or greyish intermediate volcanic rock which is a commonly found in lava
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
Origin
North America
Unknown
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Andes mountains, where it is found in abundance
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Phaneritic
Color
Bluish - Grey, Grey, Pink, Yellow
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Office Buildings, Roof Tiles
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Icelandite
Not Available
Features
Generally rough to touch, High silica content, Is one of the oldest rock
Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Middle of the Earth in Ecuador
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Formation
Andesite is a fine-grained igneous rock that forms when the magma is erupted onto the surface and is crystallized quickly.
Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Zircon
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
Silicon Dioxide
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Not Available
Streak
White
Bluish Black
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Cleavage
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.8
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.11-2.36 g/cm3
2.8-3 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, South Korea
Not Yet Found
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania
Egypt
Europe
Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Turkey, United Kingdom
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
Andesite vs Diorite 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. Andesite vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Andesite and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Andesite vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Andesite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Andesite and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Andesite in construction industry include Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Andesite and Diorite
Here you can know more about Andesite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Andesite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Andesite includes Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Zircon and mineral content of Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Andesite vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Andesite is available in bluish - grey, grey, pink, yellow colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Andesite is Dull and Soft and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Andesite vs Diorite. The hardness of Andesite is 7 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Andesite are Icelandite whereas types of Diorite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Andesite is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Andesite is 2.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Andesite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.