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Diabase
Diabase

Litchfieldite
Litchfieldite



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Litchfieldite

Diabase vs Litchfieldite

Definition

Definition

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar
Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite

History

Origin

Germany
USA

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch
Bayley

Etymology

From Greek di + base
From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Aphanitic, Granular
Granular

Color

Dark Grey to Black
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Vesicular
Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

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, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics

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
Creating Artwork

Types

Types

Dolerite
Borolanite and Litchfieldite

Features

Smooth to touch
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire
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Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
Litchfieldite 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
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75.5-6
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained
Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal to Uneven

Streak

Black
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Less Porous

Luster

-
Greasy to Dull

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm2150.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1.6
-

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.6
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm32.6 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India
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Africa

South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Finland, Norway, Portugal

Others

Antarctica, Greenland
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Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
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Diabase vs Litchfieldite 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 Litchfieldite Reserves. Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar. Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite. 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 Litchfieldite information and Diabase vs Litchfieldite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Diabase vs Litchfieldite 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 Litchfieldite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diabase and Properties of Litchfieldite. Learn more about Diabase vs Litchfieldite in the next section. The interior uses of Diabase include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Litchfieldite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diabase and Litchfieldite, 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 Litchfieldite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.

More about Diabase and Litchfieldite

Here you can know more about Diabase and Litchfieldite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diabase and Litchfieldite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diabase includes Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine and mineral content of Litchfieldite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diabase vs Litchfieldite, 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, Litchfieldite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Diabase is Vesicular and that of Litchfieldite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diabase vs Litchfieldite. The hardness of Diabase is 7 and that of Litchfieldite is 5.5-6. The types of Diabase are Dolerite whereas types of Litchfieldite are Borolanite and Litchfieldite. 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 Litchfieldite is white. The specific heat capacity of Diabase is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Litchfieldite is 0.79 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 Litchfieldite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.