Editing Soapstone (section)

== Terminology ==
The definitions of the terms "steatite" and "soapstone" vary with the field of study. In geology, steatite is a rock that is, to a very large extent, composed of talc. The mining industry defines steatite as a high-purity talc rock that is suitable for the manufacturing of, for example, [[Insulator (electricity)|insulators]]; the lesser grades of the mineral can be called simply "'''talc rock'''". Steatite can be used both in lumps ("block steatite", "lava steatite", "lava grade talc"), and in the ground form. While the geologists logically will use "steatite" to designate both forms, in the industry, "steatite" without additional qualifications typically means the steatite that is either already ground or to be used in the ground form in the future. If the ground steatite is pressed together into blocks, these are called "synthetic block steatite", "artificial block steatite", or "artificial lava talc".{{sfn|Chidester|Engel|Wright|1963|p=8}}

In industrial applications ''soapstone'' refers to [[dimension stone]] that consists of either amphibole-chlorite-carbonate-talc rock, talc-carbonate rock, or simply talc rock and is sold in the form of sawn [[Stone slab|slabs]]. "Ground soapstone" sometimes designates the ground waste product of the slab manufacturing.{{sfn|Chidester|Engel|Wright|1963|p=8}}