Soapstone

Classification：Metamorphic Rock

A soft rock composed of talc and other silicate minerals, such as mica, pyroxene, hornblende and chlorite. It is very soft and has a creamy feel. There are flaky and lumpy structures.

Soapstone is a hydrothermal alteration mineral. Magnesium rich minerals often change to Soapstone after hydrothermal alteration. Therefore, Soapstone often appears as mineral artifacts of olivine, pyroxene, hornblende and tremolite. Soapstone is a kind of common silicate minerals, it is very soft and has a creamy feel. 10 minerals have been selected to represent 10 levels of hardness, called Moss hardness. In these 10 levels, the first (the softest one) is Soapstone. Soft Soapstone can replace white chalk to draw white marks. Soapstone is generally massive, leaf like, fibrous or radial. Its color is white and gray, and it will bring various colors because of other impurities. Soapstone has a wide range of uses, such as refractories, papermaking, rubber packing, insulating materials, lubricants, pesticide absorbent, leather coatings, make-up materials and engraving materials and so on.

Summary：
Soapstone is from Shennong's materia medica. Tao Hongjing: Soapstone. It also has cold stone, small yellow and yellow, sex and cold profits, it can also burn dirty clothes. There are various places in the county of Xiang Shi, outside Hunan. At the beginning of the soft mud, long gradually strong, to more than one writer in the utensil, and heat, for the people is a prescription. The county of Nanyang is the first place in the county of Qingzhou. It is in the later Han Dynasty. The county is Qingzhou Dong Lai, and the county is the county of Zhou. The "map": "Soapstone, this way, permanent, Levin, Haozhou all have. There are two kinds. Road, Yongzhou, white and smooth as butter. "Nanyue" cloud, YONG city county out of YOUG stone, YONG stone is Soapstone. The native people think that the burning device is used to cook the fish, too. Levin, a coarse Haozhou, and green, white spots, also called stone. The land in this book is all in the north. Nowadays, doctors are mostly white and white. They are from the south. Or a white cloud of Yizhou Soapstone is consistent with "the cloud" by Taishan yin. However, he didn't take it as a medicine, so doctors knew little about it. This medicine for Soapstone people Haozhou green cloud, slightly cold, non-toxic, qi stagnation and the Lord, "" the same." The "compendium": "Soapstone, the Guilin and the city wide"? In the cave, that is the beginning of an ancient also. Two kinds of white and black, the work is all similar. The government of Penglai County Guangxi village in Shandong by Yi Jia, the hospital is Guangxi palace and Guilin Soapstone, and also said. People have to cut, not very fast. Soapstone is the root of mountain wood. In Soapstone, there is a bright yellow son for Shi Naozhi. "

The form of Soapstone:
Monoclinic system. The crystals are six square or diamond shaped, but the intact crystals are rare. They are usually granular and flaky compact blocks. Light green, white or gray. Skin white or pale green. The luster is fatty, and the cleavage surface is Pearl like. Translucent to opaque. The cleavage is very complete at the bottom. The hardness is 1, and the proportion is 2.7-2.8. Soft, creamy feel. The block Soapstone can be sawn to any shape, and the sheet can be bent but not elastic.

Soapstone is a kind of common salt silicate minerals, it is very soft and has a creamy feel. People have selected 10 minerals to represent 10 hardness grades, called Moss hardness. In these 10 levels, the first one is Soapstone. Soft Soapstone can replace white chalk to draw white marks. Soapstone is generally massive, leaf like, fibrous or radial. Its color is white and gray, and it will bring various colors because of other impurities. Soapstone has a wide range of uses, such as refractories, papermaking, rubber packing, insulating materials, lubricants, pesticide absorbent, leather coatings, make-up materials and engraving materials and so on. Soapstone is the most soft mineral known, and its Mohs hardness is 1. Use a nail to leave a scratch on the Soapstone.
In the north of Fangcheng County, Henan Province, the Soapstone storage capacity of 8 million tons is the largest Soapstone processing and production base in the country. Soapstone is an important ceramic material. It is used in ceramic billet and glaze. It is used as the chemical material in the glaze to play the role of cooling and improving the roughness of the glaze.

Chemical composition:
Soapstone mainly contains magnesium silicate [Mg3 (Si4O10) (OH) 2 or 3MgO.4SiO2? H2O], of which gO31.7%, SiO263.5%, H2O4.8%. Usually a part of MgO is replaced by FeO. In addition, the impurities such as alumina (Al2O3) are also contained. It often contains a small amount of calcium, iron, aluminum and other elements. The crystal belongs to three lamellar silicate minerals. False six party sheet single crystals are rare. They are generally dense, massive, leaf like, fibrous or radial aggregates. White or all kinds of light colors, streaks are often white, fat gloss (lump) or pearl luster (flake aggregate), and translucent. Mohs hardness of 1, the proportion of 2.6-2.8. A group of extremely complete cleavage, flakes with flexible. It has a slippery, adiabatic and insulating property.