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Gossan
Gossan

Soapstone
Soapstone



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Gossan vs Soapstone

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Definition

Definition

Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

History

Origin

Indonesia
USA

Discoverer

Cornish Gossen
Unknown

Etymology

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Rough, Sandy
Polished

Color

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull and Banded
Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

-
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Types

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Metamorphic rock

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

Formation

Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

Composition

Mineral Content

Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
CaO, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
-

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-51
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey
Black

Porosity

Highly Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Metallic
Greasy

Compressive Strength

-225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
Perfect

Toughness

-
1

Specific Gravity

2.02.86
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm32.8-2.9 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.24 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

Africa

Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

Gossan vs Soapstone Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Gossan and Soapstone Reserves. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Gossan vs Soapstone information and Gossan vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Gossan vs Soapstone 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. Gossan vs Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Gossan vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Soapstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gossan in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Gossan and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Gossan and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Soapstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon and mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Soapstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Soapstone. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gossan is white to grey while that of Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.