Rapakivi Granite

Skarn

Rapakivi Granite and Skarn

Skarn

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Definition

Rapakivi Granite is a hornblende-biotite Granite containing large rounded crystals of orthoclase which are mantled with oligoclase

Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin

History

Origin

Finland, Europe

USA, Australia

Discoverer

Jakob Sederholm

Tornebohm

Etymology

From Finnish Rapakivi which stands for crumbly rock

From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Granular, Phaneritic

Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough

Color

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings, Paving Stone, Resorts

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite and Hybrid Granite

Endoskarns

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock

Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Granite is an igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Skarn is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite

Compound Content

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

Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

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

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Light to dark brown

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

175.00 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.4

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka

Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic

United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Rapakivi Granite and Skarn Properties

Know all about Rapakivi Granite and Skarn properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Rapakivi Granite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Skarn belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Rapakivi Granite is Granular, Phaneritic whereas that of Skarn is Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough. Rapakivi Granite appears Veined or Pebbled and Skarn appears Dull. The luster of Rapakivi Granite is dull to grainy with sporadic parts pearly and vitreous while that of Skarn is waxy and dull. Rapakivi Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas Skarn is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Rapakivi Granite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, curling, laboratory bench tops, tombstones and that of Skarn are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, metallurgical flux, source of magnesia (mgo).