Soapstone vs Sandstone

Soapstone vs Sandstone 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 Sandstone Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded. 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 Sandstone information and Soapstone vs Sandstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Soapstone and Sandstone

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Sandstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Sandstone 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 Sandstone includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Sandstone, 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, Sandstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Sandstone is Rough. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Sandstone. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Sandstone is 6-7. The types of Soapstone are Metamorphic rock whereas types of Sandstone are Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister. 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 Sandstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Sandstone 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 Sandstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.