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Soapstone vs Anorthosite


Anorthosite vs Soapstone


Definition

Definition
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc  
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase  

History
  
  

Origin
USA  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap  
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Plutonic  

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

Texture

Texture
Polished  
Foliated, Glassy  

Color
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey  
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated  
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture  
Artifacts, 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)  
Creating Artwork, Curling  

Types

Types
Metamorphic rock  
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite  

Features
Host Rock for Lead  
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest 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.   
Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz  
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene  

Compound Content
CaO, Mg, MgO  
Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

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

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
Biological Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1  
5-6  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Irregular  

Streak
Black  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Greasy  
Pearly to Subvitreous  

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2  
8
180.00 N/mm2  
18

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
1  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.86  
2.62-2.82  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.7-4 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, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch 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  
-  

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa  
-  

Europe
Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada  

South America
Colombia  
Bolivia, Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Soapstone vs Anorthosite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Soapstone and Anorthosite Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Soapstone vs Anorthosite information and Soapstone vs Anorthosite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Soapstone vs Anorthosite 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. Soapstone vs Anorthosite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Soapstone and Properties of Anorthosite. Learn more about Soapstone vs Anorthosite in the next section. The interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Anorthosite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Soapstone and Anorthosite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Soapstone in construction industry include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Anorthosite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate.

More about Soapstone and Anorthosite

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Anorthosite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Anorthosite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Anorthosite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas, Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Anorthosite. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Anorthosite is 5-6. The types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock whereas types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Soapstone is black while that of Anorthosite is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant whereas Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant.

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