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Granite
Granite

Diorite
Diorite



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Granite vs Diorite

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Definition

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

History

Origin

-
-

Discoverer

Alexander von Humboldt
Unknown

Etymology

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Granular, Phaneritic
Phaneritic

Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

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, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

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-

Antiquity Uses

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Types

Types

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

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Typically speckled black and white.

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

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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
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Sculpture

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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
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Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

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-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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
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

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
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, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

-
-

Streak

White
Bluish Black

Porosity

Less Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
Shiny

Compressive Strength

175.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
2.1

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.8-3
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.65-2.75 g/cm32.8-3 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

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

Europe

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Others

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Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
USA

South America

-
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
New Zealand, Western Australia

Granite vs Diorite 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 Granite and Diorite Reserves. Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Granite vs Diorite information and Granite vs Diorite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Granite vs Diorite 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. Granite vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granite and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Granite vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Granite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granite and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Granite and Diorite

Here you can know more about Granite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granite vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Granite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granite vs Diorite. Hardness of Granite and Diorite is 6-7. The types of Granite are Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite whereas types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granite is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Granite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Granite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.