Definition
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight
Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture
History
Origin
Southern Alps, France
Tonale, Italy
Discoverer
Dolomieu
Warren Hamilton
Etymology
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock
From Tonale Pass, northern Italy, + -ite1
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
-
Plutonic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Glassy or Pearly
Banded and Foilated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
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
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, 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)
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Boninite and Jasperoid
Dacite
Features
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits
Is one of the oldest rock, Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Present
Absent
Formation
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.
When alkali feldspar is extracted from granite, it changes to granitoid and later, it becomes tonalite with quartz as major mineral.
Composition
Mineral Content
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO
NaCl, CaO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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
-
Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-46-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White
Bluish Black
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Vitreous and Pearly
Subvitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
140.00 N/mm2185.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Perfect
-
Toughness
1
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.8-32.86-3
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Transparent to Translucent
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm32.73 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India
-
Africa
Morocco, Namibia
Egypt
Europe
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula
New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia