Diatomite

Lignite

Diatomite vs Lignite

Diatomite

Lignite

Add ⊕

1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth

Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Germany

France

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From diatom + -ite1

From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Amorphous, Glassy

2.2 Color

Grey, White, Yellow

Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Non-Durable

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Soft

Veined or Pebbled

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Not Yet Used

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Not Yet Used

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium

for Road Aggregate, Steel Production

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Not Yet Used

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Alumina Refineries, Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Fire resistant, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Soil Conditioner, To ignite fire, Used as a filter medium, Used as an insecticide, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Electricity Generation

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite

4.2 Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock

Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Present

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Diatomite rock formed from the skeletal remains of single celled plants called diatoms. When diatoms die, their skeletal remains sink to the bottom of lakes and oceans etc. hence forming diatomite deposit.

Coal formation takes place due to accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. The Coal formation process continues, as peat turns into lignite brown or black coal at increasing heat and pressure.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand

Not Available

5.2.2 Compound Content

Ca, NaCl, CaO

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6.1.2 Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Black

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

⊕

▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.3-2.4

1.1-1.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.49-2.51 g/cm³

800-801 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

0.90 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 12 (Overall)▶

1.26 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 5 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Diatomite vs Lignite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Diatomite and Lignite Reserves. Diatomite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed from consolidated diatomaceous earth. Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Diatomite vs Lignite information and Diatomite vs Lignite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks » More

Diatomite vs Coquina

Diatomite vs Argillite

Diatomite vs Turbidite

» More

More Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Diatomite vs Lignite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Diatomite vs Lignite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Diatomite and Properties of Lignite. Learn more about Diatomite vs Lignite in the next section. The interior uses of Diatomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Diatomite and Lignite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Diatomite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Source of calcium and that of Lignite include For road aggregate, Steel production.

More about Diatomite and Lignite

Here you can know more about Diatomite and Lignite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Diatomite and Lignite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Diatomite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand and mineral content of Lignite is not available. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Diatomite vs Lignite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Diatomite is available in grey, white, yellow colors whereas, Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Diatomite is Soft and that of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Diatomite vs Lignite. Hardness of Diatomite and Lignite is 1. The types of Diatomite are Not Available whereas types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Diatomite is white while that of Lignite is black. The specific heat capacity of Diatomite is 0.90 kJ/Kg K and that of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Diatomite is heat resistant whereas Lignite is heat resistant.