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Chalk
Chalk

Soapstone
Soapstone



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Chalk vs Soapstone

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Definition

Definition

Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

History

Origin

-
USA

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From old English cealc chalk, lime, plaster; pebble, from Greek khalix small pebble, in English transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic
Polished

Color

Grey, White, Yellow
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Soft
Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Powder
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

-
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Alumina Refineries, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Paper Industry, Production of Lime, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Whiting, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Types

Chalk Marl and Marl
Metamorphic rock

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
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

Present
Absent

Formation

Formation

Chalk is formed from lime mud, which accumulates on the sea floor which is then transformed into rock by geological processes.
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

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

Compound Content

Ca, NaCl, CaO
CaO, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
-

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

11
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

-
Conchoidal

Streak

White
Black

Porosity

Highly Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull
Greasy

Compressive Strength

5.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
Perfect

Toughness

1
1

Specific Gravity

2.3-2.42.86
0 8.4
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Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.49-2.50 g/cm32.8-2.9 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.90 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

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

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Colombia
Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

Chalk 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 Chalk and Soapstone Reserves. Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers. 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 Chalk vs Soapstone information and Chalk vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Chalk 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. Chalk vs Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Chalk and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Chalk vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Chalk include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Chalk and Soapstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Chalk in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium and that of Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Chalk and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Chalk and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Chalk and Soapstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Chalk includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand 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 Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Chalk vs Soapstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Chalk is available in grey, white, yellow colors whereas, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Chalk is Soft and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Chalk vs Soapstone. Hardness of Chalk and Soapstone is 1. The types of Chalk are Chalk Marl and Marl 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 Chalk is white while that of Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Chalk is 0.90 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.Chalk is heat resistant whereas Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.