Granite

Kimberlite

Granite vs Kimberlite

Granite

Kimberlite

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1 Definition

1.1 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

Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Kimberley, South Africa

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

From Kimberley +‎ -ite, from the name of the South African town of Kimberley where the rock was first found.

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Granular, Phaneritic

Porphyritic

2.2 Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White

Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Veined or Pebbled

Dull and Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

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

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

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

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites

4.2 Features

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

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 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

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 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

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 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

Kimberlite is an igneous rock and is the main source of diamonds. Its formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface between 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

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

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

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

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-76-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine to Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Very Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

Subvitreous to Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

175.00 N/mm²NA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.86-2.87

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.65-2.75 g/cm³2.95-2.96 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

Russia

7.1.2 Africa

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

Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Antarctica

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Not Yet Found

Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Not Yet Found

New South Wales, New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia

Granite vs Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite 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. Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.. 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 Kimberlite information and Granite vs Kimberlite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Granite vs Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granite and Properties of Kimberlite. Learn more about Granite vs Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granite and Kimberlite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Kimberlite 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.

More about Granite and Kimberlite

Here you can know more about Granite and Kimberlite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granite and Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite includes Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granite vs Kimberlite, 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, Kimberlite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Granite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Kimberlite is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granite vs Kimberlite. Hardness of Granite and Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite are Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granite and Kimberlite is white. The specific heat capacity of Granite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Kimberlite 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.Granite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Kimberlite is heat resistant, impact resistant.