Soapstone vs Obsidian

Soapstone vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian information and Soapstone vs Obsidian characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Soapstone vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Soapstone and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Soapstone vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Soapstone and Obsidian, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Soapstone in construction industry include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Soapstone and Obsidian

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Obsidian 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 Obsidian is not available. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Obsidian. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Soapstone are Not Available whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. 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 Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian is 0.92 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 Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.