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Soapstone
Soapstone

Quartzite
Quartzite



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Soapstone
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Soapstone vs Quartzite

Definition

Definition

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc
Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone

History

Origin

USA
-

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap
From quartz + -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Polished
Foliated, Granular

Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Light Grey, Purple, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated
Lustrous

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

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)
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Types

Types

Metamorphic rock
Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite

Features

Host Rock for Lead
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest 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
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.
Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

16-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

Black
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Greasy
Vitreous

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm2115.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect
Indiscernible

Toughness

1
1.9

Specific Gravity

2.862.6-2.8
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Transparent to Translucent

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm32.32-2.42 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.75 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear 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, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Europe

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

Others

-
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Bahamas, Canada, USA

South America

Colombia
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

Soapstone vs Quartzite 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 Quartzite Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. 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 Quartzite information and Soapstone vs Quartzite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Soapstone vs Quartzite 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 Quartzite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Soapstone and Properties of Quartzite. Learn more about Soapstone vs Quartzite in the next section. The interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Soapstone and Quartzite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Soapstone in construction industry include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Quartzite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Soapstone and Quartzite

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Quartzite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Quartzite 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 Quartzite includes Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Quartzite, 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, Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Quartzite is Lustrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Quartzite. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Quartzite is 6-7. The types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock whereas types of Quartzite are Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite. 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 Quartzite is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Quartzite is 0.75 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 Quartzite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.