Definition
Aplite is a fine-grained granite composed mainly of feldspar and quartz
Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine
Origin
Iran
Hawaii Islands
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German Aplit, from Greek haploos simple + -ite
From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granular, Graphic
Earthy, Rough
Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Shiny
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Small Sculptures, Tombstones
As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Not Available
Oceanite
Features
Available in lots of colors, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Formation
Aplites belong to intrusive igneous rocks which are mostly quart and alkali feldspar and are formed from residual eutectic granitic liquids and represent the final crystallization products of magma.
Picrite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Uneven
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Not Available
Imperfect
Toughness
Not Available
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.6
2.75-2.92
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6 g/cm3
1.5-2.5 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
India, Russia
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
South Africa
Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela
Iceland
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Aplite vs Picrite 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. Aplite vs Picrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Aplite and Properties of Picrite. Learn more about Aplite vs Picrite in the next section. The interior uses of Aplite include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Picrite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Aplite and Picrite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Aplite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Picrite include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..
More about Aplite and Picrite
Here you can know more about Aplite and Picrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Aplite and Picrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Aplite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Picrite includes Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Aplite vs Picrite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Aplite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Picrite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Aplite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Picrite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Aplite vs Picrite. The hardness of Aplite is 6.5 and that of Picrite is 6.8. The types of Aplite are Not Available whereas types of Picrite are Oceanite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Aplite is white while that of Picrite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Aplite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Picrite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Aplite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Picrite is heat resistant.