Granite

Diabase

Granite and Diabase

Granite

Diabase

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Definition

Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone

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

History

Origin

Germany

Discoverer

Alexander von Humboldt

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum

From Greek di + base

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Granular, Phaneritic

Aphanitic, Granular

Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled

Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

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

Types

Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite

Dolerite

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Blue Domed Church in Santorini, Greece, Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London, UK, Ephesus in Turkey, Georgia Guidestones in Georgia, US, Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Khajuraho Temples, India, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, India, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Signers Monument in Augusta, Georgia, Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower Bridge in London, Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, US, Washington Monument, US

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Avukana Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka, Lincoln Memorial in America, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US, The Colossal Red Granite Statue of Amenhotep III in Karnak, Egypt

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental 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

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

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

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77

1 7

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Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

Compressive Strength

175.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.86-2.87

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.65-2.75 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

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Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

India

Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Granite and Diabase Properties

Know all about Granite and Diabase properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Granite and Diabase belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Granite is Granular, Phaneritic whereas that of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular. Granite appears Veined or Pebbled and Diabase appears Vesicular. The luster of Granite is dull to grainy with sporadic parts pearly and vitreous while that of Diabase is . Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Granite are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, tombstones, used in aquariums and that of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.