Diorite

Hornfels

Diorite vs Hornfels

Diorite

Hornfels

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

History

Origin

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From German which means hornstone

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Granular, Platy

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Shiny

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, 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

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Curling

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Biotite hornfels

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.

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Andalusite

Compound Content

Silicon Dioxide

Fe, Mg

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-72-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Bluish Black

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²5.80 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.8-33.4-3.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-3 g/cm³0.25-0.30 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

Egypt

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Europe

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

United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Diorite vs Hornfels 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 Hornfels Reserves. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock. 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 Hornfels information and Diorite vs Hornfels characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks » More

Diorite vs Peridotite

Diorite vs Porphyry

Diorite vs Kimberlite

» More Compare Igneous Rocks

Diorite vs Hornfels 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 Hornfels characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diorite and Properties of Hornfels. Learn more about Diorite vs Hornfels in the next section. The interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diorite and Hornfels, 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 Hornfels include For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Diorite and Hornfels

Here you can know more about Diorite and Hornfels. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diorite and Hornfels 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 Hornfels includes Andalusite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diorite vs Hornfels, 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, Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Diorite is Shiny and that of Hornfels is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diorite vs Hornfels. The hardness of Diorite is 6-7 and that of Hornfels is 2-3. The types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite whereas types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels. 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 Hornfels is . The specific heat capacity of Diorite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Hornfels is 0.84 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 Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.