Rhyolite

Diabase

Rhyolite vs Diabase

Rhyolite

Diabase

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Definition

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

History

Origin

North America

Germany

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

From Greek di + base

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Aphanitic, Granular

Color

Grey, White, Light Black

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Banded

Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

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

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

Dolerite

Features

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

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

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

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, Regional 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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Sub-conchoidal

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Earthy

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.672.86-2.87

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.6 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India

India

Africa

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

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Rhyolite vs Diabase 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 Rhyolite and Diabase Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar. 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 Rhyolite vs Diabase information and Rhyolite vs Diabase characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Rhyolite vs Diabase 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. Rhyolite vs Diabase characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Diabase. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Diabase in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Diabase include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Diabase, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Rhyolite in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives and that of Diabase include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Rhyolite and Diabase

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Diabase. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Diabase consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Diabase includes Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Diabase, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors whereas, Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Diabase is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Diabase. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Diabase is 7. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Diabase are Dolerite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Rhyolite is while that of Diabase is black. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Diabase is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Diabase is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.