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Granulite vs Variolite


Variolite vs Granulite


Definition

Definition
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.  
Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance  

History
  
  

Origin
Central Europe  
France  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained  
From Latin varius, speckled, variegated  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Volcanic  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Granoblastic  
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular  

Color
Black, Brown  
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled  
Dull and Soft  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls  
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  

Types

Types
Metamorphic rock  
Metamorphic rock  

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch  
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

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.  
Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks that exhibit pale colored spots on weathered surfaces that give them a pockmarked appearance.  

Composition
  
  

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  
-  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7  
6  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
-  

Fracture
-  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White to Grey  

Porosity
Very Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Vitreous  
-  

Compressive Strength
175.00 N/mm2  
20
37.50 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
2.3  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3.0  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
3.06-3.33 g/cm3  
2.9-3.1 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.14 kJ/Kg K  
33
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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  
India, Russia  

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

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

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
-  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
-  

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Granulite vs Variolite 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 Granulite and Variolite Reserves. Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.. Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance. 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 Granulite vs Variolite information and Granulite vs Variolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Granulite vs Variolite 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 Variolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granulite and Properties of Variolite. Learn more about Granulite vs Variolite 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 Variolite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Granulite and Variolite, 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 Variolite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Granulite and Variolite

Here you can know more about Granulite and Variolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granulite and Variolite 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 Variolite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Granulite vs Variolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granulite is available in black, brown colors whereas, Variolite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Granulite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Variolite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granulite vs Variolite. The hardness of Granulite is 6-7 and that of Variolite is 6. The types of Granulite are Metamorphic rock whereas types of Variolite are Metamorphic rock. 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 Variolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Granulite is 0.14 kJ/Kg K and that of Variolite 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.Granulite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Variolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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