Diorite

Gabbro

Diorite vs Gabbro

Diorite

Gabbro

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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

Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

History

Origin

Germany

Discoverer

Unknown

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

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

From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Shiny

Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Curling

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Features

Typically speckled black and white.

Smooth to touch

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.

Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Silicon Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Bluish Black

Black

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.86-2.87

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-3 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.71 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

India, Russia

Africa

Egypt

South Africa

Europe

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

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

Diorite vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro Reserves. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt. 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 Gabbro information and Diorite vs Gabbro characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Diorite vs Gabbro 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 Gabbro characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diorite and Properties of Gabbro. Learn more about Diorite vs Gabbro in the next section. The interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diorite and Gabbro, 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 Gabbro include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Diorite and Gabbro

Here you can know more about Diorite and Gabbro. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diorite and Gabbro 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 Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diorite vs Gabbro, 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, Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Diorite is Shiny and that of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diorite vs Gabbro. The hardness of Diorite is 6-7 and that of Gabbro is 7. The types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite whereas types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro. 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 Gabbro is black. The specific heat capacity of Diorite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Gabbro is 0.71 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 Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.