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Dolomite vs Laterite


Laterite vs Dolomite


Definition

Definition
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight  
Laterite rock is a type of Sedimentary rock which is rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas  

History
  
  

Origin
Southern Alps, France  
India  

Discoverer
Dolomieu  
Francis Buchanan-Hamilton  

Etymology
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock  
From Latin later brick, tile + -ite1  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Earthy  
Earthy, Massive, Porphyritic  

Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White  
Brown, Buff, Red  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Glassy or Pearly  
Rough and Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
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  
Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  
-  

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Source of bauxite, Used in aquariums  

Types

Types
Boninite and Jasperoid  
Laterite  

Features
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits  
Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Present  
Present  

Formation

Formation
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.  
Laterite is a type of sedimentary rock which is generally a reddish weathering product of basalt.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides  
Aluminum Oxides, Biotite, Hematite, Hornblade, Iron Oxides, Manganese Oxides, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene  

Compound Content
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
2  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Vitreous and Pearly  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
140.00 N/mm2  
23
5.00 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
1  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3  
-9999  

Transparency
Transparent to Translucent  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
-9999 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

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

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India  
India  

Africa
Morocco, Namibia  
East Africa, Western Africa  

Europe
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland  
England, Romania, Scotland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Mexico, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil, Colombia  
-  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Dolomite vs Laterite 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 Dolomite and Laterite Reserves. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. Laterite rock is a type of Sedimentary rock which is rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. 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 Dolomite vs Laterite information and Dolomite vs Laterite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Dolomite vs Laterite 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. Dolomite vs Laterite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dolomite and Properties of Laterite. Learn more about Dolomite vs Laterite in the next section. The interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Laterite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Dolomite and Laterite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dolomite in construction industry 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 and that of Laterite include Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone.

More about Dolomite and Laterite

Here you can know more about Dolomite and Laterite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dolomite and Laterite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides and mineral content of Laterite includes Aluminum Oxides, Biotite, Hematite, Hornblade, Iron Oxides, Manganese Oxides, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Dolomite vs Laterite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dolomite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Laterite is available in brown, buff, red colors. Appearance of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Laterite is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dolomite vs Laterite. The hardness of Dolomite is 3.5-4 and that of Laterite is 2. The types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid whereas types of Laterite are Laterite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Dolomite and Laterite is white. The specific heat capacity of Dolomite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Laterite 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.Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Laterite is heat resistant, pressure resistant.

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