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Soapstone
Soapstone

Gossan
Gossan



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Soapstone vs Gossan

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Definition

Definition

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.

History

Origin

USA
Indonesia

Discoverer

Unknown
Cornish Gossen

Etymology

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Not Applicable
Not Applicable

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Polished
Rough, Sandy

Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated
Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, 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
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Not Available

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts

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, Gemstone

Types

Types

Not Available
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan

Features

Host Rock for Lead
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Used
Not Yet Used

Famous Monuments

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire
Not Applicable

Sculpture

Used
Not Yet Used

Famous Sculptures

Not Available
Not Applicable

Pictographs

Used
Used

Petroglyphs

Used
Used

Figurines

Used
Not Yet Used

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.
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon

Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Not Applicable

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Not Applicable
Not Applicable

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Not Applicable
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

14-5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

Black
White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Greasy
Metallic

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm2NA
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect
Not Available

Toughness

1
Not Available

Specific Gravity

2.862.0
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm3Not Available
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.24 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
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

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

Others

Not Available
Not Available

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Colombia
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Soapstone vs Gossan 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 Gossan Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. 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 Gossan information and Soapstone vs Gossan characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Soapstone and Gossan

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Gossan. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Gossan 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 Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Gossan, 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, Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Gossan is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Gossan. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Gossan is 4-5. The types of Soapstone are Not Available whereas types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan. 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 Gossan is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Gossan is 0.24 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 Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.