Soapstone

Mudstone

Soapstone vs Mudstone

Soapstone

Mudstone

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Unknown

William Smith

Etymology

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

From the English mud and stone, from low German mudde and stainaz

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Polished

Clastic

Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Rough and Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Roof Tiles

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

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, Pottery

Types

Metamorphic rock

Marl, Shale and Argillite

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained 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

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.

Mudstone forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are buried and compacted by overlying sediment hence forming mudstone.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz

Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

12-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Greasy

Dull

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²25.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.862.2-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

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

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Colombia

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

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

Soapstone vs Mudstone 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 Mudstone Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations. 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 Mudstone information and Soapstone vs Mudstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks » More

Soapstone vs Serpentinite

Soapstone vs Pseudotachylite

Soapstone vs Blueschist

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks

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

More about Soapstone and Mudstone

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Mudstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Mudstone 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 Mudstone includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Mudstone, 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, Mudstone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Mudstone is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Mudstone. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Mudstone is 2-3. The types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock whereas types of Mudstone are Marl, Shale and Argillite. 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 Mudstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Mudstone is 0.39 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 Mudstone is heat resistant, impact resistant.