What is the difference between pumice and granite

Marble has been used throughout history because it is easy to break and to carve. Some marble especially in Italy is noted for its smooth, small crystals that make it excellent for statues.

Many of the statues of Michelangelo were made from marble. Marble is also used as an ornamental building stone. If you live near or in a city, have your students try to find buildings made of marble.

If you are in an old school, some of the bathroom stalls or floors may be made of marble. It is composed mainly of the mineral serpentine. Serpentinite is so named because of its mottled color, which resembles the back of a sea-serpent. The geologic origin of serpentinite is still debated, but many scientists agree that it formed from a rock like basalt that was put under high temperature and pressure.

Serpentinite is the state rock of California. Serpentinite is used for carving and as an ornamental building stone. Schists form under moderately high pressure conditions; this causes the naturally platy mica crystals to line up, giving the rock a platy look.

This is a good example for illustrating the characteristic "squished" look of metamorphic rocks to your students. Have them imagine that a heavy Mother Nature sat on some rocks - look at what she did! Comparing rocks. Mudstone with fossils. Be sure to tell them that there are many different types of rocks within each of the three groups.

Brainstorm possible terms for describing rocks with the students. Explain that identification and classification of an individual rock specimen is based on a variety of characteristics and criteria, and that they will start to learn some of these in this lab. Give each group of students a piece of red, yellow, and black paper. Pass out the rock sets. Go through each of the rocks to make sure the students put the correct rock on the right color.

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum. As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks.

Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.

What Is Banded.. Compare Igneous Rocks » More. Granite vs Rhyolite. Granite vs Andesite. Mafic rocks are made of dark-colored, higher-density minerals such as olivine and pyroxene. Intermediate rocks have compositions between felsic and mafic. Table 4. The rocks listed in the table above are the most common igneous rocks, but there are actually more than different types of igneous rocks. Granite is perhaps the most useful one to humans. We use granite in many building materials and in art.

As discussed in the introduction to this lesson, pumice is commonly used for abrasives. Peridotite is sometimes mined for peridot, a type of gemstone used in jewelry.

Diorite is extremely hard and is commonly used for art. It was used extensively by ancient civilizations for vases and other decorative art work. The green mineral is olivine. Skip to main content. Mini Me Geology Blog About. Ask-a-Geologist Video Why do pumice and scoria have holes and granite does not? You might also like:. Entries RSS Home. First Name. Affiliate Disclosure: We are grateful to be of service and bring your content free of charge.