Diorite

Picrite

Diorite vs Picrite

Diorite

Picrite

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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

Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine

History

Origin

Hawaii Islands

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Earthy, Rough

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Shiny

Rough 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, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Curling

As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Oceanite

Features

Typically speckled black and white.

Host Rock for Lead

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.

Picrite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite

Compound Content

Silicon Dioxide

Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact 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, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76.8

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Streak

Bluish Black

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²189.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.75-2.92

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-3 g/cm³1.5-2.5 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Africa

Egypt

South Africa

Europe

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

Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Diorite vs Picrite 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 Picrite Reserves. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine. 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 Picrite information and Diorite vs Picrite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Diorite vs Picrite 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 Picrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diorite and Properties of Picrite. Learn more about Diorite vs Picrite in the next section. The interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Picrite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diorite and Picrite, 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 Picrite include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Diorite and Picrite

Here you can know more about Diorite and Picrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diorite and Picrite 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 Picrite includes Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diorite vs Picrite, 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, Picrite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Diorite is Shiny and that of Picrite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diorite vs Picrite. The hardness of Diorite is 6-7 and that of Picrite is 6.8. The types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite whereas types of Picrite are Oceanite. 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 Picrite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Diorite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Picrite is 0.88 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 Picrite is heat resistant.