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Rhyolite
Rhyolite

Diorite
Diorite



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Rhyolite vs Diorite

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Definition

Definition

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene

History

Origin

North America
-

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Richthofen
Unknown

Etymology

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic
Phaneritic

Color

Grey, White, Light Black
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Banded
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry
Creating Artwork, Curling

Types

Types

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite

Features

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors
Typically speckled black and white.

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
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

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

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Sub-conchoidal
-

Streak

-
Bluish Black

Porosity

Highly Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Earthy
Shiny

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

2
2.1

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.672.8-3
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.4-2.6 g/cm32.8-3 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, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India
-

Africa

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

Europe

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
USA

South America

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia

Rhyolite vs Diorite 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 Diorite Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Diorite information and Rhyolite vs Diorite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Rhyolite 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. Rhyolite vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Diorite, 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 Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Rhyolite and Diorite

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz 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 Rhyolite vs Diorite, 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, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Diorite. Hardness of Rhyolite and Diorite is 6-7. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite. 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 Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite 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 Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.