Definition
Mugearite is a type of oligoclase bearing basalt, also comprising of olivine, apatite, and opaque oxides
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
Origin
Skye, Scotland
Unknown
Discoverer
Alfred Harker
Unknown
Etymology
From mugear + -ite
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Shiny
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Not Available
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Formation
Mugearite forms when lava reaches the Earth's surface near an active volcano. The temperature of lava is between 1100 to 1250° C when it gets to the surface.
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.
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Not Applicable
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Streak
White to Grey
Bluish Black
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Not Available
Shiny
Cleavage
Not Applicable
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
2.8-3 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
Not Yet Found
Africa
South Africa
Egypt
Europe
Iceland
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
New Zealand, Western Australia
Mugearite 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. Mugearite vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Mugearite and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Mugearite vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Mugearite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes and Hotels whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Mugearite and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Mugearite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Mugearite and Diorite
Here you can know more about Mugearite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Mugearite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Mugearite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene 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 Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Mugearite vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Mugearite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Mugearite is Dull and Soft and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Mugearite vs Diorite. The hardness of Mugearite is 6 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Mugearite are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite whereas types of Diorite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Mugearite is white to grey while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Mugearite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Mugearite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.