Definition
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc
Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock which forms from rounded gravel and boulder sized clasts which are cemented together in a matrix
History
Origin
USA
Italy
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap
From Latin conglomeratus, to roll together, i.e. from com together + glomerare to gather into a ball, from glomus (genitive glomeris) a ball
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
-
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Polished
Clastic
Color
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey
Beige, Black, Brown, Buff, Light to Dark Grey, Orange, Rust, White, Yellow
Maintenance
Less
More
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Shiny and Rounded
Architecture
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes
Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Roof Tiles
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
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)
Cemetery Markers, In aquifers, Tombstones
Types
Metamorphic rock
Orthoconglomerate and Paraconglomerate
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable
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.
Conglomerate forms where sediments consisting mainly of pebble and cobble-size clasts at least two millimeters in diameter starts accumulating.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Clay, Sand, Silica, Silt
Compound Content
CaO, Mg, MgO
NaCl, CaO
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
-
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
12-3
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
Black
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Greasy
Dull
Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm270.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Perfect
-
Toughness
1
-
Specific Gravity
2.862.86-2.88
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm31.7-2.3 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant
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, 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
Canada, USA
South America
Colombia
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland
New South Wales, New Zealand