Diabase

Latite

Diabase and Latite

Diabase

Latite

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Definition

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

Latite is an igneous, volcanic rock, with aphanitic-aphyric to aphyric-porphyritic texture

History

Origin

Germany

Italy

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Unknown

Etymology

From Greek di + base

From the Latin word latium

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Granular

Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Color

Dark Grey to Black

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Vesicular

Rough

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, 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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Metallurgical Flux, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Dolerite

Rhomb porphyries

Features

Smooth to touch

Host Rock for Lead

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.

Latite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

CaO, Cl, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75-5.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²310.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.6

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India

Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Bulgaria

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Diabase and Latite Properties

Know all about Diabase and Latite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Diabase and Latite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular whereas that of Latite is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Diabase appears Vesicular and Latite appears Rough. The luster of Diabase is while that of Latite is subvitreous to dull. Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors whereas Latite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white 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 Latite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, metallurgical flux, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).