Definition
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight
Origin
North America
Southern Alps, France
Discoverer
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Dolomieu
Etymology
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic
Earthy
Color
Grey, White, Light Black
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Banded
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
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Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives
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, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
Medical Industry
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Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.
Boninite and Jasperoid
Features
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits
Archaeological Significance
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.
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.
Mineral Content
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
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Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
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Grain Size
Large and Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Sub-conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Earthy
Vitreous and Pearly
Specific Gravity
2.65-2.67
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Transparent to Translucent
Density
2.4-2.6 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India
China, India
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Morocco, Namibia
Europe
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Mexico, USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula
Rhyolite vs Dolomite 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 Dolomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Dolomite. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Dolomite in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Dolomite, 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 Dolomite include 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, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.
More about Rhyolite and Dolomite
Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Dolomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Dolomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Dolomite, 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, Dolomite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Dolomite. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Dolomite is 3.5-4. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid. 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 Dolomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Dolomite is 0.92 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 Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.