Marble

Soapstone

Marble vs Soapstone

Marble

Soapstone

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Egypt

USA

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From the Greek marmaros, shining stone and also from the English word marmoreal meaning marble-like

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Granular

Polished

2.2 Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Pink, White

Black, Black to Grey, Green, 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

Veined and Shiny

Dull, Banded and Foilated

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Not Yet Used

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Paper Industry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

4 Types

4.1 Types

Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble

Not Available

4.2 Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Host Rock for Lead

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Capitol Hill Building, Washington DC, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Ephesus in Turkey, Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Louvre in Paris, France, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Parthenon in Greece, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Qutb Minar in India, Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower of Pisa, Italy, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India, Washington Monument, US

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Bust of Artemis, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Lincoln Memorial in America

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Marble is a metamorphic rock produced from limestone in the earth crust. It is formed by the metamorphism of limestone.

Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

CaO, Mg, MgO

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

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

Not Applicable

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

3-41

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium Grained

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Black

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous

Greasy

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Perfect

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.86

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.4-2.7 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

7.1.2 Africa

Namibia

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Italy, Spain

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Not Yet Found

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Not Yet Found

Colombia

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

Marble 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 Marble and Soapstone Reserves. Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time. 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 Marble vs Soapstone information and Marble vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Marble 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. Marble vs Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Marble and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Marble vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Marble include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Marble and Soapstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Marble in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Marble and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Marble and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Marble and Soapstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Marble includes Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz 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 Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Marble vs Soapstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Marble is available in black, blue, brown, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Marble is Veined and Shiny and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Marble vs Soapstone. The hardness of Marble is 3-4 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Marble are Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble whereas types of Soapstone are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Marble is white while that of Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Marble is 0.88 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.Marble is heat resistant whereas Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.