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Soapstone
Soapstone

Obsidian
Obsidian



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Soapstone
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Obsidian

Soapstone vs Obsidian

Definition

Definition

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

History

Origin

USA
Ethiopia

Discoverer

Unknown
Obsius

Etymology

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Polished
Glassy

Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated
Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
-

Industry

Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Jewellery

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, Mirror, Used in aquariums

Types

Types

Metamorphic rock
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Features

Host Rock for Lead
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

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.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

15-5.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
-

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

Black
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Greasy
Vitreous

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm20.15 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect
-

Toughness

1
-

Specific Gravity

2.862.6-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm32.6 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, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Kenya

Europe

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Colombia
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland
New Zealand

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 includes . 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 Metamorphic rock 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.