Definition
Andesite is a dark, fine-grained, brown or greyish intermediate volcanic rock which is a commonly found in lava
  
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
  
History
  
  
Origin
North America
  
France
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From Andes mountains, where it is found in abundance
  
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Volcanic
  
Not Applicable
  
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
  
Amorphous, Glassy
  
Color
Bluish - Grey, Grey, Pink, Yellow
  
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Maintenance
More
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
No
  
Scratch Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Stain Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Appearance
Dull and Soft
  
Veined or Pebbled
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
  
Not Yet Used
  
Exterior Uses
Office Buildings, Roof Tiles
  
Not Yet Used
  
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
  
Not Yet Used
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
  
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
  
Not Yet Used
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
  
Electricity Generation
  
Types
Icelandite
  
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
  
Features
Generally rough to touch, High silica content, Is one of the oldest rock
  
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Monuments
Middle of the Earth in Ecuador
  
Not Applicable
  
Sculpture
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
  
Not Applicable
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Present
  
Formation
Andesite is a fine-grained igneous rock that forms when the magma is erupted onto the surface and is crystallized quickly.
  
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.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Zircon
  
Not Available
  
Compound Content
Silicon Dioxide
  
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Not Applicable
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
  
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
7
  
1
  
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Uneven
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
White
  
Black
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Highly Porous
  
Luster
Vitreous
  
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm
2
  
7
Not Available
  
Cleavage
Not Available
  
Non-Existent
  
Toughness
1.1
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.8
  
1.1-1.4
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.11-2.36 g/cm3
  
800-801 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
2.39 kJ/Kg K
  
2
1.26 kJ/Kg K
  
5
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Heat Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, South Korea
  
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
  
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Europe
Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Turkey, United Kingdom
  
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Mexico, USA
  
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
  
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
  
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
  
Andesite 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. Andesite vs Lignite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Andesite and Properties of Lignite. Learn more about Andesite vs Lignite in the next section. The interior uses of Andesite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Andesite and Lignite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Andesite in construction industry include Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Lignite include For road aggregate, Steel production.
More about Andesite and Lignite
Here you can know more about Andesite and Lignite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Andesite and Lignite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Andesite includes Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Zircon and mineral content of Lignite is not available. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Andesite vs Lignite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Andesite is available in bluish - grey, grey, pink, yellow colors whereas, Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Andesite is Dull and Soft and that of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Andesite vs Lignite. The hardness of Andesite is 7 and that of Lignite is 1. The types of Andesite are Icelandite 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 Andesite is white while that of Lignite is black. The specific heat capacity of Andesite is 2.39 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.Andesite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Lignite is heat resistant.