Soapstone

Breccia

Soapstone and Breccia

Soapstone

Breccia

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Definition

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material

History

Origin

USA

England

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Polished

Brecciated, Clastic

Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Rust, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Metamorphic rock

Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

Formation

Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

Breccia is a clastic sedimentary rock which is composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock which are cemented together by a fine-grained matrix and it forms where broken, angular fragments of rock or mineral debris accumulate.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven

Streak

Black

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Greasy

Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²180.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.862.86-2.87

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³0 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA

South America

Colombia

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

New South Wales, New Zealand

All about Soapstone and Breccia Properties

Know all about Soapstone and Breccia properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Soapstone belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Breccia belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Soapstone is Polished whereas that of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic. Soapstone appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Soapstone is greasy while that of Breccia is dull to pearly. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Soapstone and Breccia are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, production of lime, source of magnesia (mgo).