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Granite
Granite

Dunite
Dunite



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Granite vs Dunite

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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
Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine

History

Origin

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New Zealand

Discoverer

Alexander von Humboldt
Ferdinand von Hochstetter

Etymology

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum
From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
Plutonic

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Granular, Phaneritic
Phaneritic

Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled
Rough and 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, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

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, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Types

Types

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

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

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

-
-

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
Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-73.5-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained

Fracture

-
Irregular

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
Shiny

Compressive Strength

175.00 N/mm2107.55 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
2.1

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.73-3.01
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.65-2.75 g/cm32.84-2.85 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K1.25 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
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

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

Europe

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Others

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-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

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Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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New Zealand, Western Australia

Granite vs Dunite 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 Dunite 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. Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine. 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 Dunite information and Granite vs Dunite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Granite vs Dunite 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 Dunite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granite and Properties of Dunite. Learn more about Granite vs Dunite 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 Dunite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granite and Dunite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Dunite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Granite and Dunite

Here you can know more about Granite and Dunite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granite and Dunite 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 Dunite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granite vs Dunite, 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, Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. Appearance of Granite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Dunite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granite vs Dunite. The hardness of Granite is 6-7 and that of Dunite is 3.5-4. 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 Dunite are Dunite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granite and Dunite is white. The specific heat capacity of Granite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Dunite is 1.25 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 Dunite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.