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Travertine
Travertine

Diatomite
Diatomite



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Travertine
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Diatomite

Travertine vs Diatomite

Definition

Definition

Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters
Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth

History

Origin

Italy
Germany

Discoverer

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Unknown

Etymology

From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy
From diatom + -ite1

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Banded
Clastic or Non-Clastic

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow
Grey, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Non-Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Fibrous
Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery
Alumina Refineries, Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Fire resistant, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Soil Conditioner, To ignite fire, Used as a filter medium, Used as an insecticide, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Types

Types

Thermal Travertine and Tufa
Diatomite

Features

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Present

Formation

Formation

Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.
Diatomite rock formed from the skeletal remains of single celled plants called diatoms. When diatoms die, their skeletal remains sink to the bottom of lakes and oceans etc. hence forming diatomite deposit.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand

Compound Content

Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen
Ca, NaCl, CaO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-41
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

Splintery
-

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly
Dull

Compressive Strength

80.00 N/mm2-
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1
1

Specific Gravity

1.682.3-2.4
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.71 g/cm32.49-2.51 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.09 kJ/Kg K0.90 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Russia
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa

-
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Europe

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom
England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

Travertine vs Diatomite 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 Travertine and Diatomite Reserves. Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters. Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth. 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 Travertine vs Diatomite information and Travertine vs Diatomite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Travertine vs Diatomite 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. Travertine vs Diatomite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Travertine and Properties of Diatomite. Learn more about Travertine vs Diatomite in the next section. The interior uses of Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diatomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Travertine and Diatomite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Travertine in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Diatomite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium.

More about Travertine and Diatomite

Here you can know more about Travertine and Diatomite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Travertine and Diatomite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Diatomite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Travertine vs Diatomite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Diatomite is available in grey, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Travertine is Fibrous and that of Diatomite is Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Travertine vs Diatomite. The hardness of Travertine is 3-4 and that of Diatomite is 1. The types of Travertine are Thermal Travertine and Tufa whereas types of Diatomite are Diatomite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Travertine and Diatomite is white. The specific heat capacity of Travertine is 1.09 kJ/Kg K and that of Diatomite is 0.90 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Diatomite is heat resistant.