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Epidosite and Diabase


Diabase and Epidosite


Definition

Definition
Epidosite is a highly altered epidote and quartz bearing rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt  
Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Germany  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Christian Leopold von Buch  

Etymology
-  
From Greek di + base  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
Volcanic  

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

Texture

Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular  
Aphanitic, Granular  

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey  
Dark Grey to Black  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Dull and Soft  
Vesicular  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

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

Other Uses
  
  

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

Types

Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite  
Dolerite  

Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock  
Smooth to touch  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Epidosite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.  
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
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene  
Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine  

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

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

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6  
7  

Grain Size
Fine to Coarse Grained  
Fine to Medium Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White to Grey  
Black  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
-  
-  

Compressive Strength
160.00 N/mm2  
21
225.00 N/mm2  
8

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
2.3  
1.6  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3  
2.86-2.87  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
2.7-3.3 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India, Russia  
India  

Africa
South Africa  
South Africa, Tanzania  

Europe
Iceland  
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey  

Others
-  
Antarctica, Greenland  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Epidosite and Diabase Properties

Know all about Epidosite and Diabase properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Epidosite and Diabase belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Epidosite is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular. Epidosite appears Dull and Soft and Diabase appears Vesicular. The luster of Epidosite and Diabase is . Epidosite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Epidosite are commemorative tablets, creating artwork and that of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.

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