Definition
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
History
Origin
Tanzania
Indonesia
Discoverer
Unknown
Cornish Gossen
Etymology
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
-
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granular, Poikiloblastic
Rough, Sandy
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Dull and Banded
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
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
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Types
Carbonatite
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Features
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
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.
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Composition
Mineral Content
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
34-5
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Metallic
Compressive Strength
75.00 N/mm2-
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
1
-
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.872.0
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.84-2.86 g/cm3-9999 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.51 kJ/Kg K0.24 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Others
Greenland
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia