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Diorite
Diorite

Soapstone
Soapstone



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Diorite vs Soapstone

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Definition

Definition

Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

History

Origin

-
USA

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

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

Texture

Phaneritic
Polished

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Shiny
Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

-
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Curling
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Types

Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite
Metamorphic rock

Features

Typically speckled black and white.
Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

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.
Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

Silicon Dioxide
CaO, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
-

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-71
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

-
Conchoidal

Streak

Bluish Black
Black

Porosity

Very Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Shiny
Greasy

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
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Cleavage

-
Perfect

Toughness

2.1
1

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.86
0 8.4
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Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.8-3 g/cm32.8-2.9 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, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

-
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

Africa

Egypt
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

Diorite vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone Reserves. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. 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 Soapstone information and Diorite vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Diorite vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diorite and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Diorite vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Diorite and Soapstone, 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 Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Diorite and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Diorite and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diorite and Soapstone 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 Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Diorite vs Soapstone, 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, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Diorite is Shiny and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diorite vs Soapstone. The hardness of Diorite is 6-7 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite whereas types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock. 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 Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Diorite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Soapstone 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 Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.