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Carbonatite and Wehrlite


Wehrlite and Carbonatite


Definition

Definition
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals   
Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites   

History
  
  

Origin
Tanzania   
Egypt   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Alois Wehrle   

Etymology
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals   
From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Plutonic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Granular, Poikiloblastic   
Banded   

Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White   
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated   
Rough and Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Unknown, Unknown   
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones   

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium   
NA   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux   
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.   
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
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite   
Pyroxene   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

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, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Irregular   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Subvitreous to Dull   
Metallic   

Cleavage
Not Available   
Perfect   

Toughness
1   
2.1   

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87   
8.4   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.84-2.86 g/cm3   
2.6-3.7 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.63 kJ/Kg K   
21

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Morocco, South Africa   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Carbonatite and Wehrlite Properties

Know all about Carbonatite and Wehrlite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Carbonatite and Wehrlite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Carbonatite is Granular, Poikiloblastic whereas that of Wehrlite is Banded. Carbonatite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded. The luster of Carbonatite is subvitreous to dull while that of Wehrlite is metallic. Carbonatite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. The commercial uses of Carbonatite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux and that of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.

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