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Diorite vs Dolomite


Dolomite vs Diorite


Definition

Definition
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene  
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Southern Alps, France  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Dolomieu  

Etymology
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish  
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock  

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

Texture

Texture
Phaneritic  
Earthy  

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White  
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Shiny  
Glassy or Pearly  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
-  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock  

Medical Industry
-  
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Curling  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)  

Types

Types
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite  
Boninite and Jasperoid  

Features
Typically speckled black and white.  
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

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.  
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon  
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides  

Compound Content
Silicon Dioxide  
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
No  

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

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  
-  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
-  
Conchoidal  

Streak
Bluish Black  
White  

Porosity
Very Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Vitreous and Pearly  

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2  
8
140.00 N/mm2  
23

Cleavage
-  
Perfect  

Toughness
2.1  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Transparent to Translucent  

Density
2.8-3 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
-  
China, India  

Africa
Egypt  
Morocco, Namibia  

Europe
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom  
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
Mexico, USA  

South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru  
Brazil, Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia  
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula  

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Diorite vs Dolomite 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 Diorite and Dolomite Reserves. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. 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 Diorite vs Dolomite information and Diorite vs Dolomite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Diorite vs Dolomite 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. Diorite vs Dolomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diorite and Properties of Dolomite. Learn more about Diorite vs Dolomite in the next section. The interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diorite and Dolomite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Diorite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Dolomite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.

More about Diorite and Dolomite

Here you can know more about Diorite and Dolomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diorite and Dolomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon and mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diorite vs Dolomite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors whereas, Dolomite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Diorite is Shiny and that of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diorite vs Dolomite. The hardness of Diorite is 6-7 and that of Dolomite is 3.5-4. The types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite whereas types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Diorite is bluish black while that of Dolomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Diorite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Dolomite 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.Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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