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Hornfels vs Dolomite


Dolomite vs Hornfels


Definition

Definition
Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock   
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight   

History
  
  

Origin
New Zealand   
Southern Alps, France   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Dolomieu   

Etymology
From German which means hornstone   
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Granular, Platy   
Earthy   

Color
Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown   
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull   
Glassy or Pearly   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   
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, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments   
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork   
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)   

Types

Types
Biotite hornfels   
Boninite and Jasperoid   

Features
Smooth to touch   
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.   
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Andalusite   
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides   

Compound Content
Fe, Mg   
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
No   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering   
Not Applicable   

Erosion
Yes   
No   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Not Applicable   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
2-3   
3.5-4   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Unknown   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Shiny   
Vitreous and Pearly   

Compressive Strength
5.80 N/mm2   
31
140.00 N/mm2   
15

Cleavage
Perfect   
Perfect   

Toughness
Not Yet Found   
1   

Specific Gravity
3.4-3.9   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Transparent to Translucent   

Density
0.25-0.30 g/cm3   
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand   
China, India   

Africa
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa   
Morocco, Namibia   

Europe
United Kingdom   
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Mexico, USA   

South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador   
Brazil, Colombia   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia   
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula   

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Hornfels vs Dolomite 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 Hornfels and Dolomite Reserves. Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. 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 Hornfels vs Dolomite information and Hornfels vs Dolomite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Hornfels vs Dolomite 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. Hornfels vs Dolomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Hornfels and Properties of Dolomite. Learn more about Hornfels vs Dolomite in the next section. The interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Hornfels and Dolomite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Hornfels in construction industry include For road aggregate, Roadstone and that of Dolomite 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, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.

More about Hornfels and Dolomite

Here you can know more about Hornfels and Dolomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Dolomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Dolomite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors whereas, Dolomite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Dolomite. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Dolomite is 3.5-4. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Hornfels is unknown while that of Dolomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Dolomite 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.Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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