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Novaculite and Diorite


Diorite and Novaculite


Definition

Definition
Novaculite is a dense, hard, fine-grained, siliceous metamorpic rock which is a type of chert that breaks with conchoidal fracture   
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene   

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Latin word novacula, for razor stone   
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Banded, Glassy, Rough, Vitreous   
Phaneritic   

Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White   
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Glassy or Pearly   
Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone, Spear Points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Gemstone, In aquifers, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, Manufacture of tools, Pebbles are used in ball mills to grind in ceramics industry, To determine the gold content of jewelry   
Creating Artwork, Curling   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate   
Typically speckled black and white.   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Novaculite forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The formation of Novaculite can be either of chemical or biological origin.   
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.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Quartz, Silicon   
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon   

Compound Content
Ca, Silicon Dioxide   
Silicon Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7   
6-7   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Medium to Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Not Available   

Streak
Colorless   
Bluish Black   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Very Less Porous   

Luster
Waxy and Dull   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
450.00 N/mm2   
1
225.00 N/mm2   
7

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Not Available   

Toughness
1.5   
2.1   

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.7   
2.8-3   

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.7 g/cm3   
2.8-3 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.74 kJ/Kg K   
19
Not Available   

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam   
Not Yet Found   

Africa
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   
Egypt   

Europe
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom   
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom   

Others
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
USA   

South America
Bolivia, Brazil   
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia   
New Zealand, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Novaculite and Diorite Properties

Know all about Novaculite and Diorite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Novaculite belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Diorite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Novaculite is Banded, Glassy, Rough, Vitreous whereas that of Diorite is Phaneritic. Novaculite appears Glassy or Pearly and Diorite appears Shiny. The luster of Novaculite is waxy and dull while that of Diorite is shiny. Novaculite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors whereas Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Novaculite are cemetery markers, gemstone, in aquifers, in fire-starting tools, jewelry, manufacture of tools, pebbles are used in ball mills to grind in ceramics industry, to determine the gold content of jewelry and that of Diorite are creating artwork, curling.

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