Limestone

Variolite

Limestone vs Variolite

Limestone

Variolite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate

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

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

New Zealand

France

1.2.2 Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century

From Latin varius, speckled, variegated

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

Volcanic

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

2.2 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

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Rough and Banded

Dull and Soft

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 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, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 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

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

4 Types

4.1 Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa

Not Available

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 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

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

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

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Present

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

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

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

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

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

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Not Applicable

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3-46

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Not Applicable

6.1.3 Fracture

Splintery

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

White to Grey

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Pearly

Not Available

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²37.50 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

2.3

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.3-2.72.8-3

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

India, Russia

7.1.2 Africa

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

South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

United Kingdom

Iceland

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

USA

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Brazil

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

Not Yet Found

Limestone 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 Limestone and Variolite Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. 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 Limestone vs Variolite information and Limestone vs Variolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Limestone 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. Limestone vs Variolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Variolite. Learn more about Limestone vs Variolite in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Variolite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Variolite, 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 Variolite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Limestone and Variolite

Here you can know more about Limestone and Variolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Variolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Variolite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Variolite, 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, Variolite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Variolite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Variolite. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Variolite is 6. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Variolite are Not Available. 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 Variolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 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.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Variolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.