Dolomite

Marl

Dolomite vs Marl

Dolomite

Marl

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Definition

Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight

Marl is an unconsolidated sedimentary rock consisting of clay and lime

History

Origin

Southern Alps, France

Discoverer

Dolomieu

William Smith

Etymology

From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock

From Old French marle, from Late Latin marglia

Class

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

Earthy

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Beige, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Glassy or Pearly

Rough and Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, Roof Tiles

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

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery, Sculpture, Small Figurines

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)

Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner

Types

Boninite and Jasperoid

Clay Marl ,Blue Marl, Red Marl, High Bank Marl, Shell Layer Marl, Under Shell Layer Marl, Sand Marl, Green Marl, Grey Marl and Clayey Marl

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Formation

Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.

Marl forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settles at the bottom of water bodies and are compacted by overlying sediment; the water squeezes out and hence forming Marl rock.

Composition

Mineral Content

Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides

Calcite, Clay, Dolomite, Gypsum, Micas, Pyrite, Quartz

Compound Content

NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-42-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous and Pearly

Dull

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²30.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.2-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.80 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India

India, Pakistan, Russia

Africa

Morocco, Namibia

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Mexico, USA

USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula

New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia

Dolomite vs Marl 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 Marl Reserves. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. Marl is an unconsolidated sedimentary rock consisting of clay and lime. 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 Marl information and Dolomite vs Marl characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Dolomite vs Marl 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 Marl characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dolomite and Properties of Marl. Learn more about Dolomite vs Marl in the next section. The interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Marl include Decorative aggregates and Floor tiles. Due to some exceptional properties of Dolomite and Marl, 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 Marl include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Dolomite and Marl

Here you can know more about Dolomite and Marl. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dolomite and Marl consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides and mineral content of Marl includes Calcite, Clay, Dolomite, Gypsum, Micas, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Dolomite vs Marl, 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, Marl is available in beige, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Marl is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dolomite vs Marl. The hardness of Dolomite is 3.5-4 and that of Marl is 2-3. The types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid whereas types of Marl are Clay Marl ,Blue Marl, Red Marl, High Bank Marl, Shell Layer Marl, Under Shell Layer Marl, Sand Marl, Green Marl, Grey Marl and Clayey Marl. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Dolomite and Marl is white. The specific heat capacity of Dolomite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Marl is 0.80 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 Marl is heat resistant, impact resistant.