Basanite

Wehrlite

Basanite and Wehrlite

Basanite

Wehrlite

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Definition

Basanite is a black basaltic rock which mainly contains plagioclase, augite, olivine and nepheline and is formerly used as a touchstone

Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Alois Wehrle

Etymology

From Latin basanites + -ite

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Banded

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Glassy or Pearly

Rough and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Whetstones

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

As a touchstone, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Nepheline-Basanite, Analcite-Basanite and Leucite-Basanite

Ultramafic rock

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Used as a touchstone

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Basanite is a fine-grained, hard rock that forms when bits of lava shoot out of volcanoes.

Wehrlite 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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Augite, Feldspar, Ilmenite, Olivine, Plagioclase

Pyroxene

Compound Content

Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Waxy and Dull

Metallic

Compressive Strength

100.00 N/mm²100.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.5

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.88.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.7 g/cm³2.6-3.7 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.74 kJ/Kg K0.63 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Uganda

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Basanite and Wehrlite Properties

Know all about Basanite and Wehrlite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Basanite and Wehrlite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Basanite is Aphanitic to Porphyritic whereas that of Wehrlite is Banded. Basanite appears Glassy or Pearly and Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded. The luster of Basanite is waxy and dull while that of Wehrlite is metallic. Basanite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors whereas Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. The commercial uses of Basanite are as a touchstone, creating artwork, gemstone, in fire-starting tools, manufacture of tools, metallurgical flux, jewelry, to ignite fire, used in flintlock firearms and that of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.