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Anorthosite vs Diorite


Diorite vs Anorthosite


Definition

Definition
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase  
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1  
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic  
Plutonic  

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Glassy  
Phaneritic  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  
Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Curling  
Creating Artwork, Curling  

Types

Types
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite  
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite  

Features
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  
Typically speckled black and white.  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
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.   
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.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene  
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

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

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5-6  
6-7  

Grain Size
Coarse Grained  
Medium to Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Irregular  
-  

Streak
White  
Bluish Black  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Pearly to Subvitreous  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
180.00 N/mm2  
18
225.00 N/mm2  
8

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
2.1  

Specific Gravity
2.62-2.82  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Translucent  
Opaque  

Density
2.7-4 g/cm3  
2.8-3 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

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

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
-  
-  

Africa
-  
Egypt  

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

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada  
USA  

South America
Bolivia, Colombia  
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia  
New Zealand, Western Australia  

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Anorthosite vs Diorite 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 Anorthosite and Diorite Reserves. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Anorthosite vs Diorite information and Anorthosite vs Diorite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Anorthosite and Diorite

Here you can know more about Anorthosite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Anorthosite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene 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 Anorthosite vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Anorthosite vs Diorite. The hardness of Anorthosite is 5-6 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite whereas types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Anorthosite is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite 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.Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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