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Soapstone and Charnockite


Charnockite and Soapstone


Definition

Definition
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc  
Charnockite is a variety of granite containing minerals like orthopyroxene, quartz, and feldspar  

History
  
  

Origin
USA  
Tamil Nadu, India  

Discoverer
Unknown  
T. H. Holland  

Etymology
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap  
From Job Charnock, an administtrator of East India Company  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Plutonic  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Polished  
Granular  

Color
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey  
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated  
Veined or Pebbled  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads  

Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Resorts  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories  
As Dimension Stone  

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

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)  
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones  

Types

Types
Metamorphic rock  
Enderbite  

Features
Host Rock for Lead  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock  

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  
Absent  

Formation

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.   
Charnockite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard and is formed due to weathering of existing rocks.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz  
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz  

Compound Content
CaO, Mg, MgO  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

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

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
Biological Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1  
6-7  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
-  

Streak
Black  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Greasy  
-  

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2  
8
190.00 N/mm2  
15

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
1  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.86  
-9999  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.6 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K  
13
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant  
Heat 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  
India  

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa  
East Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique  

Europe
Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  
Albania, Romania, Scotland, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
USA  

South America
Colombia  
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Soapstone and Charnockite Properties

Know all about Soapstone and Charnockite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Soapstone belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Charnockite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Soapstone is Polished whereas that of Charnockite is Granular. Soapstone appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Charnockite appears Veined or Pebbled. The luster of Soapstone is greasy while that of Charnockite is . Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas Charnockite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Soapstone are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, production of lime, source of magnesia (mgo) and that of Charnockite are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, tombstones.

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