Definition
Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar
Rapakivi Granite is a hornblende-biotite Granite containing large rounded crystals of orthoclase which are mantled with oligoclase
History
Origin
Germany
Finland, Europe
Discoverer
Christian Leopold von Buch
Jakob Sederholm
Etymology
From Greek di + base
From Finnish Rapakivi which stands for crumbly rock
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
Plutonic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic, Granular
Granular, Phaneritic
Color
Dark Grey to Black
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Maintenance
Less
More
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Vesicular
Veined or Pebbled
Architecture
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings, Paving Stone, Resorts
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
As Dimension Stone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
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, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
Types
Dolerite
Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite and Hybrid Granite
Features
Smooth to touch
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
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.
Granite is an igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks
Composition
Mineral Content
Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
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
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, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
76-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Large and Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
-
Streak
Black
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
-
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2175.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
1.6
-
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.872.6-2.7
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.7-3.3 g/cm32.6-2.8 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, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
South Africa, Tanzania
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic
Others
Antarctica, Greenland
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
-