Diabase

Diatomite

Diabase vs Diatomite

Diabase

Diatomite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

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

Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Germany

1.2.2 Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From Greek di + base

From diatom + -ite1

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Volcanic

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Aphanitic, Granular

Clastic or Non-Clastic

2.2 Color

Dark Grey to Black

Grey, White, Yellow

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

Non-Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Vesicular

Soft

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

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

Alumina Refineries, Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Fire resistant, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Soil Conditioner, To ignite fire, Used as a filter medium, Used as an insecticide, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

4.2 Features

Smooth to touch

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

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

Present

5 Formation

5.1 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.

Diatomite rock formed from the skeletal remains of single celled plants called diatoms. When diatoms die, their skeletal remains sink to the bottom of lakes and oceans etc. hence forming diatomite deposit.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Ca, NaCl, CaO

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

Black

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Not Available

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

225.00 N/mm²

Rank: 7 (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

Non-Existent

6.1.9 Toughness

1.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.86-2.87

2.3-2.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³

2.49-2.51 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

0.90 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 12 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

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▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

India

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

7.1.3 Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Colombia

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

Diabase vs Diatomite 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 Diabase and Diatomite Reserves. Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar. Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth. 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 Diabase vs Diatomite information and Diabase vs Diatomite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Diabase vs Diatomite 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. Diabase vs Diatomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diabase and Properties of Diatomite. Learn more about Diabase vs Diatomite in the next section. The interior uses of Diabase include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Diatomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diabase and Diatomite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Diabase in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Diatomite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium.

More about Diabase and Diatomite

Here you can know more about Diabase and Diatomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diabase and Diatomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diabase includes Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine and mineral content of Diatomite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diabase vs Diatomite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors whereas, Diatomite is available in grey, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Diabase is Vesicular and that of Diatomite is Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diabase vs Diatomite. The hardness of Diabase is 7 and that of Diatomite is 1. The types of Diabase are Not Available whereas types of Diatomite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Diabase is black while that of Diatomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Diabase is Not Available and that of Diatomite is 0.90 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Diabase is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Diatomite is heat resistant.