Diabase

Hornfels

Diabase and Hornfels

Diabase

Hornfels

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Definition

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

History

Origin

Germany

New Zealand

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Unknown

Etymology

From Greek di + base

From German which means hornstone

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Granular

Granular, Platy

Color

Dark Grey to Black

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Vesicular

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Dolerite

Biotite hornfels

Features

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Andalusite

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Fe, Mg

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

72-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²5.80 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.873.4-3.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³0.25-0.30 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

United Kingdom

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Diabase and Hornfels Properties

Know all about Diabase and Hornfels properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Diabase belongs to Igneous Rocks while Hornfels belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular whereas that of Hornfels is Granular, Platy. Diabase appears Vesicular and Hornfels appears Dull. The luster of Diabase is while that of Hornfels is shiny. Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors whereas Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. The commercial uses of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones and that of Hornfels are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork.