Dunite

Diabase

Dunite and Diabase

Dunite

Diabase

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Definition

Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

History

Origin

New Zealand

Germany

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Hochstetter

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1

From Greek di + base

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Aphanitic, Granular

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Shiny

Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Dunite

Dolerite

Features

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.

Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-47

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

107.55 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

1.6

Specific Gravity

3-3.012.86-2.87

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.84-2.85 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.25 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

India

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Dunite and Diabase Properties

Know all about Dunite and Diabase properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Dunite and Diabase belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Dunite is Phaneritic whereas that of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular. Dunite appears Rough and Shiny and Diabase appears Vesicular. The luster of Dunite is shiny while that of Diabase is . Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Dunite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds and that of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.