Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay
Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar
Discoverer
Unknown
Christian Leopold von Buch
Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke
From Greek di + base
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic
Aphanitic, Granular
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Dark Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull
Vesicular
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing
Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined
Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Formation
Graywacke rock is a type of sedimentary rock, which is also known as immature sandstone, which is indurated, dark grey and consisting of poorly sorted angular to sub-angular, sand-sized grains.
Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.
Mineral Content
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Angular and Fine
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Not Available
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Perfect
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3
2.7-3.3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
India
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
Greenland
Antarctica, Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
Greywacke vs Diabase 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. Greywacke vs Diabase characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Greywacke and Properties of Diabase. Learn more about Greywacke vs Diabase in the next section. The interior uses of Greywacke include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diabase include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Greywacke and Diabase, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Greywacke in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Diabase include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Greywacke and Diabase
Here you can know more about Greywacke and Diabase. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Greywacke and Diabase consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Greywacke includes Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Diabase includes Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Greywacke vs Diabase, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Greywacke is Dull and that of Diabase is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Greywacke vs Diabase. The hardness of Greywacke is 6-7 and that of Diabase is 7. The types of Greywacke are Not Available whereas types of Diabase are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Greywacke is white while that of Diabase is black. The specific heat capacity of Greywacke is Not Available and that of Diabase is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Greywacke is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Diabase is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.