Felsite

Diorite

Felsite and Diorite

Felsite

Diorite

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Definition

Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From English feldspar and -ite

From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Phaneritic

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Mirror, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Curling

Types

Igneous rock

Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

Typically speckled black and white.

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Felsite 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.

Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.

Composition

Mineral Content

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.56-7

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Bluish Black

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Shiny

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.8-3

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm³2.8-3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

Kenya

Egypt

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

USA

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Felsite and Diorite Properties

Know all about Felsite and Diorite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Felsite and Diorite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Felsite is Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous whereas that of Diorite is Phaneritic. Felsite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Diorite appears Shiny. The luster of Felsite is vitreous while that of Diorite is shiny. Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Felsite are mirror, jewelry and that of Diorite are creating artwork, curling.