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Diabase vs Sandstone


Sandstone vs Diabase


Definition

Definition
Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar   
Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded   

History
  
  

Origin
Germany   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Christian Leopold von Buch   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Greek di + base   
From its composition, sand and stone   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Aphanitic, Granular   
Clastic, Granular, Rough   

Color
Dark Grey to Black   
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Appearance
Vesicular   
Rough   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister   

Features
Smooth to touch   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire   
Abu Simbel in Egypt, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Dom in Berlin, Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, India Gate in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Khajuraho Temples, India, Leh Palace in Leh, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Luxor Temple in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Petra in Jordan, Qutb Minar in India, Red Fort in Delhi, India, Sanchi Stupa in India   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Present   

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.   
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock which forms from cemented sand-sized clasts. It forms when sand layers are buried under sediments of sand.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine   
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, 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, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7   
6-7   

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained   
Coarse or Fine   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Not Available   
Dull   

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2   
7
95.00 N/mm2   
20

Cleavage
Not Available   
Perfect   

Toughness
1.6   
2.6   

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87   
2.2-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.7-3.3 g/cm3   
2.2-2.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India   
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Uzbekistan   

Africa
South Africa, Tanzania   
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey   
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   

Others
Antarctica, Greenland   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia   
New South Wales, New Zealand   

Definition >>
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Diabase vs Sandstone 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 Sandstone Reserves. Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar. Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded. 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 Sandstone information and Diabase vs Sandstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Diabase vs Sandstone 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 Sandstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diabase and Properties of Sandstone. Learn more about Diabase vs Sandstone in the next section. The interior uses of Diabase include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Sandstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diabase and Sandstone, 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 Sandstone include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Diabase and Sandstone

Here you can know more about Diabase and Sandstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diabase and Sandstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diabase includes Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine and mineral content of Sandstone includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diabase vs Sandstone, 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, Sandstone is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Diabase is Vesicular and that of Sandstone is Rough. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diabase vs Sandstone. The hardness of Diabase is 7 and that of Sandstone is 6-7. The types of Diabase are Not Available whereas types of Sandstone are Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister. 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 Sandstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Diabase is Not Available and that of Sandstone is 0.92 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 Sandstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.

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