Soapstone

Hornfels

Soapstone and Hornfels

Soapstone

Hornfels

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

History

Origin

USA

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From German which means hornstone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Polished

Granular, Platy

Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments

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)

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Metamorphic rock

Biotite hornfels

Features

Host Rock for Lead

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

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.

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Andalusite

Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO

Fe, Mg

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

12-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Greasy

Shiny

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²5.80 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.863.4-3.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³0.25-0.30 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Europe

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

United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Colombia

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Soapstone and Hornfels Properties

Know all about Soapstone and Hornfels properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Soapstone and Hornfels belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Soapstone is Polished whereas that of Hornfels is Granular, Platy. Soapstone appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Hornfels appears Dull. The luster of Soapstone is greasy while that of Hornfels is shiny. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown 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 Hornfels are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork.