Definition
Charnockite is a variety of granite containing minerals like orthopyroxene, quartz, and feldspar
Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites
Origin
Tamil Nadu, India
Egypt
Discoverer
T. H. Holland
Alois Wehrle
Etymology
From Job Charnock, an administtrator of East India Company
From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Banded
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Resorts
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
Types
Enderbite
Ultramafic rock
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Charnockite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard and is formed due to weathering of existing 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.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Pyroxene
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Less Porous
Specific Gravity
-9999
8.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6 g/cm3
2.6-3.7 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey
Africa
East Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique
Morocco, South Africa
Europe
Albania, Romania, Scotland, United Kingdom
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
Charnockite vs Wehrlite 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. Charnockite vs Wehrlite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Charnockite and Properties of Wehrlite. Learn more about Charnockite vs Wehrlite in the next section. The interior uses of Charnockite include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Wehrlite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Charnockite and Wehrlite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Charnockite in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Wehrlite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones.
More about Charnockite and Wehrlite
Here you can know more about Charnockite and Wehrlite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Charnockite and Wehrlite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Charnockite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Wehrlite includes Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Charnockite vs Wehrlite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Charnockite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. Appearance of Charnockite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Wehrlite is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Charnockite vs Wehrlite. The hardness of Charnockite is 6-7 and that of Wehrlite is 5.5-6. The types of Charnockite are Enderbite whereas types of Wehrlite are Ultramafic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Charnockite and Wehrlite is white. The specific heat capacity of Charnockite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Wehrlite is 0.63 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Charnockite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Wehrlite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.