Definition
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
Origin
Central Europe
Unknown
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Plutonic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granoblastic
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Shiny
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch
Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Formation
Granulite is a fine-grained granular metamorphic rock in which the main component minerals are feldspars and quartz and forms at high temperature and pressure conditions.
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.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Not Available
Streak
White
Bluish Black
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Cleavage
Imperfect
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.8-3.0
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.06-3.33 g/cm3
2.8-3 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Not Yet Found
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa
Egypt
Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
New Zealand, Western Australia
Granulite 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. Granulite vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granulite and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Granulite vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Granulite include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, 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 Granulite and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granulite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Granulite and Diorite
Here you can know more about Granulite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granulite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granulite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, 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 Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Granulite vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granulite is available in black, brown colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granulite vs Diorite. Hardness of Granulite and Diorite is 6-7. The types of Granulite are Not Available whereas types of Diorite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granulite is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Granulite is 0.14 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.