I'm not sure, but I think it might be soapstone because of the scratches and what looks like patina-ed areas on my monitor. The good news is if it's soapstone you can buff out the scratches. Hope someone else can weigh on it for you.

Soapstone is impervious to everything. It will not stain or etch. Acidic foods will have no effect on soapstone. It will deveop patina, that is the oxidation of oils from hands and cooking, on the surface of the stone. That’s what happens when you apply mineral oil to the stone, to darken its appearance. However, patina can be removed, and the stone brought back to it’s original, light color. We’ve done that many times.

Yes, the softer soapstones will show scratches, which can be buffed out. I have one of the hardest soapstones, Belvedere. After six years of heavy use, there’s been just one scratch, next to the rangetop where my DH dragged a cast iron pan, four years ago. A bit of gentle rubbing with a green Scotch pad, and a touch of applied oil afterward, took it away.

If acid is affecting your island counter, the stone isn’t soapstone.

But is she calling patina etching? What other black rock would scratch like that?

It does not look like soapstone. Not the color, not the pattern, but with a photo and that lighting, who knows. It may be a slate, perhaps @Karen MT can chime in. Regardless, the way you care for it is to clean it with a bit of uncolored liquid dishsoap like Seventh Generation on a damp Dobie pad, wipe dry with towel or paper towel.

If you want to seal it, check first (A) whether there is sealant on there already, and (B) whether it should even have sealant. Sometimes it is the sealant itself which causes streaks and haze that I see on the photo. That is because the stone may be a type that did not need sealant in the first place, but the sealant was applied anyway but shouldn't have been. Note that sealant protects against stains, but does not protect against etching. Use a tiny bit of acetone on a small section and see what it uncovers. If that section looks better, then you'd need to strip the entire surface of the existing sealant with the acetone. You must have the windows open while doing this, and a little goes a long way.

“It unfortunately already has some acid etching spots and minor scratches.”

@mxk3 z5b_MI, the point is, soapstone does not etch. Period. If her stone is etching from acidic foods, it is not soapstone.

Ah, yes…I forgot about slate. During our counter selection process, before we decided on soapstone, we visited Sheldon Slate, way up in northern NY State, a good 7 hrs from our home. We came away with a selection of countertop (not flooring) slates, in a variety of colors.

After thorough testing, we found the reds, purples and greens to be difficult to scratch. Those colors were also impervious to all foods and condiments, acidic or not. The black slate, however, scratched easily, and was quite porous. Ketchup, and other acidic items, left marks like what Jessica shows in her pics. So, as @Shannon_WI suggested, that stone could be slate.

It would be helpful, Jessica, if you took a pic or two from a bit further away.