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Charnockite and Banded iron formation


Banded iron formation and Charnockite


Definition

Definition
Charnockite is a variety of granite containing minerals like orthopyroxene, quartz, and feldspar   
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age   

History
  
  

Origin
Tamil Nadu, India   
Western Australia, Minnesota   

Discoverer
T. H. Holland   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Job Charnock, an administtrator of East India Company   
From its formation process   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Granular   
Banded, Trellis   

Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White   
Red, Reddish Brown   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads   
Decorative Aggregates, Homes   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Resorts   
Paving Stone, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone   
As Dimension Stone, 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   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones   
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Enderbite   
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock   
Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Charnockite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard and is formed due to weathering of existing rocks.   
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering   
Chemical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Not Available   
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Very Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Not Available   
Earthy   

Cleavage
Not Available   
Imperfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
Not Available   
5.0-5.3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
2.6 g/cm3   
Not Available   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
3.20 kJ/Kg K   
1

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India   
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam   

Africa
East Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique   
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Albania, Romania, Scotland, United Kingdom   
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, Mexico, USA   

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela   
Bolivia, Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia   
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia   

Summary >>
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All about Charnockite and Banded iron formation Properties

Know all about Charnockite and Banded iron formation properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Charnockite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Banded iron formation belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Charnockite is Granular whereas that of Banded iron formation is Banded, Trellis. Charnockite appears Veined or Pebbled and Banded iron formation appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Charnockite is not available while that of Banded iron formation is earthy. Charnockite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. The commercial uses of Charnockite are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, tombstones and that of Banded iron formation are as a touchstone, cemetery markers, creating artwork.

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