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Limestone
Limestone

Diorite
Diorite



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Limestone vs Diorite

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Definition

Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene

History

Origin

New Zealand
-

Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet
Unknown

Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic
Phaneritic

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Rough and Banded
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
Creating Artwork, Curling

Types

Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits
Typically speckled black and white.

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
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Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Absent

Formation

Formation

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.
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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO
Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-46-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery
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Streak

White
Bluish Black

Porosity

Less Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly
Shiny

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1
2.1

Specific Gravity

2.3-2.72.8-3
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm32.8-3 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
-

Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Egypt

Europe

United Kingdom
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
USA

South America

Colombia
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
New Zealand, Western Australia

Limestone vs Diorite 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 Limestone and Diorite Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Limestone vs Diorite information and Limestone vs Diorite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Limestone 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. Limestone vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Limestone vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Limestone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Limestone and Diorite

Here you can know more about Limestone and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt 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 Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Diorite. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite 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.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.