Definition
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granular, Poikiloblastic
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Unknown
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
Formation
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.
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
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact 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, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Streak
White
Bluish Black
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Shiny
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.84-2.86 g/cm3
2.8-3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Not Yet Found
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Egypt
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Others
Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
New Zealand, Western Australia
Carbonatite 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. Carbonatite vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Carbonatite and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Carbonatite vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Carbonatite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Carbonatite and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Carbonatite in construction industry include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Unknown and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Carbonatite and Diorite
Here you can know more about Carbonatite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Carbonatite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Carbonatite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite 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 Carbonatite vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Carbonatite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Carbonatite is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Carbonatite vs Diorite. The hardness of Carbonatite is 3 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Carbonatite are Not Available 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 Carbonatite is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Carbonatite is Not Available 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.Carbonatite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.