Definition
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica
  
Sovite is a coarse-grained variety of carbonatite which belongs to intrusive igneous rock
  
History
  
  
Origin
North America
  
Unknown
  
Discoverer
Ferdinand von Richthofen
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone
  
Not Available
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Igneous Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Volcanic
  
Plutonic
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic
  
Granular, Poikiloblastic
  
Color
Grey, White, Light Black
  
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
  
Maintenance
More
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Wind Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Appearance
Banded
  
Dull, Banded and Foilated
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes
  
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
  
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
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, Unknown, Unknown
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
  
Artifacts
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry
  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
  
Types
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.
  
Not Available
  
Features
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors
  
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
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.
  
Sovites are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
  
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
  
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
  
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
6-7
  
3
  
Grain Size
Large and Coarse Grained
  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Sub-conchoidal
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
Colorless
  
White
  
Porosity
Highly Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Earthy
  
Subvitreous to Dull
  
Compressive Strength
140.00 N/mm
2
  
15
Not Available
  
Cleavage
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Toughness
2
  
1
  
Specific Gravity
2.65-2.67
  
2.86-2.87
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.4-2.6 g/cm3
  
2.84-2.86 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
China, India
  
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
  
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
  
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
  
Europe
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain
  
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Greenland
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, USA
  
Canada, USA
  
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
  
Brazil
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
  
New South Wales, New Zealand
  
Rhyolite vs Sovite 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 Sovite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Sovite. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Sovite in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Sovite include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Sovite, 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 Sovite 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, Unknown, Unknown.
More about Rhyolite and Sovite
Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Sovite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Sovite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Sovite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Sovite, 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, Sovite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Sovite is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Sovite. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Sovite is 3. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Sovite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Rhyolite is colorless while that of Sovite is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is Not Available and that of Sovite is Not Available. 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 Sovite is heat resistant, pressure resistant.