Soapstone
Rock
Also called Steatite and Soaprock
Take care.
- Can shed asbestos fibres: Keep it in a closed box, and never break, saw, sand, or scrape it.
About it
Soft, soapy-feeling rock made mostly of talc, easily scratched with a fingernail and carved. Used for carvings, sinks, and stoves; some deposits contain asbestos fibres, so carve and sand it wet.
- Type
- Rock (metamorphic)
- Group
- Metamorphic (non-foliated)
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 1–2.5
- Specific gravity
- 2.6–2.9
- Lustre
- greasy, pearly
- Colours
- grey, green, white, brown, black
- Transparency
- opaque
- Cleavage and fracture
- none; uneven fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.