Definition
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
History
Origin
-
Discoverer
Unknown
Etymology
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Maintenance
Less
Durability
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
81% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
86% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
66% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
49% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
48% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Appearance
Shiny
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite
Features
Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
Famous Monuments
-
Sculpture
-
Famous Sculptures
-
Pictographs
-
Petroglyphs
-
Figurines
-
Fossils
Absent
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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
Silicon Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
97% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
99% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
92% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
6-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
-
Streak
Bluish Black
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Luster
Shiny
Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2
Rank: 8 (Overall)
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Toughness
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Density
2.8-3 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 15 (Overall)
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
-
Africa
Egypt
Europe
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Others
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia