Definition
A ganister is a hard, fine-grained quartzose sandstone or orthoquartzite which is basically used in the manufacture of silica brick typically used to line furnaces and is a type of sedimentary rocks.
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight
Origin
England
Southern Alps, France
Discoverer
Unknown
Dolomieu
Etymology
From gan′is-ter i.e a hard, close-grained siliceous stone, often forming the stratum which underlies a coal-seam
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Granular, Rough
Earthy
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Rough
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Not Yet Used
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
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
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Not Available
Boninite and Jasperoid
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Formation
Ganisters are formed by the destruction of easily weathered minerals mainly feldspar, within the surface horizon of soil by soil-forming processes.
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Not Applicable
Types of Erosion
Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Not Applicable
Grain Size
Coarse or Fine
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Splintery
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Vitreous and Pearly
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Transparent to Translucent
Density
2.2-2.8 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
China, India
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Morocco, Namibia
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland
Others
Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Mexico, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil, Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula
Ganister vs Dolomite 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. Ganister vs Dolomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Ganister and Properties of Dolomite. Learn more about Ganister vs Dolomite in the next section. The interior uses of Ganister include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Ganister and Dolomite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Ganister in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Dolomite 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.
More about Ganister and Dolomite
Here you can know more about Ganister and Dolomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Ganister and Dolomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Ganister includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Ganister vs Dolomite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Ganister is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Dolomite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Ganister is Rough and that of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Ganister vs Dolomite. The hardness of Ganister is 6-7 and that of Dolomite is 3.5-4. The types of Ganister are Not Available whereas types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Ganister and Dolomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Ganister is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Dolomite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Ganister is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.