Definition
Metapelite is an old and currently not widely used field geological term for a clay rich fine-grained clastic sediment or sedimentary rock, i.e. mud or a mudstone
Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar
History
Origin
-
Germany
Discoverer
Unknown
Christian Leopold von Buch
Etymology
From Pelos or clay in Greek
From Greek di + base
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
-
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated
Aphanitic, Granular
Color
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Green, Light Greenish Grey
Dark Grey to Black
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Banded
Vesicular
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Metamorphic rock
Dolerite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
Formation
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Metapelite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Quartz
Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
5-67
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Fibrous
Conchoidal
Streak
-
Black
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Earthy
-
Compressive Strength
40.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
-
1.6
Specific Gravity
3.4-3.72.86-2.87
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
0-300 g/cm32.7-3.3 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.72 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
-
India
Africa
Western Africa
South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
-
Antarctica, Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
-
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia