Diorite

Travertine

Diorite and Travertine

Diorite

Travertine

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Definition

Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene

Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters

History

Origin

Italy

Discoverer

Unknown

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Etymology

From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish

From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Banded

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Shiny

Fibrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Curling

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Types

Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Features

Typically speckled black and white.

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

Formation

Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.

Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

Silicon Dioxide

Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-73-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Streak

Bluish Black

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²80.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.8-31.68

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-3 g/cm³2.71 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K1.09 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Russia

Africa

Egypt

Europe

Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Diorite and Travertine Properties

Know all about Diorite and Travertine properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Diorite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Travertine belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Diorite is Phaneritic whereas that of Travertine is Banded. Diorite appears Shiny and Travertine appears Fibrous. The luster of Diorite is shiny while that of Travertine is dull to pearly. Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors whereas Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Diorite are creating artwork, curling and that of Travertine are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, paper industry, pottery.