Limestone vs Soapstone

Limestone vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. 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 Soapstone information and Limestone vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Limestone vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Limestone vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Soapstone, 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 Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Limestone and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Limestone and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Soapstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Soapstone, 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, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Soapstone. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock. 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 Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Soapstone is 0.88 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 Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.