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Coal and Pyroxenite


Pyroxenite and Coal


Definition

Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds   
Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Unknown   

Discoverer
John Peter Salley   
Unknown   

Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century   
From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

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

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy   
Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic   

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey   
Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens   

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production   
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones   

Types

Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite   
Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites   

Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel   
Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment which is buried by sediments such as mud or sand and then compacted to form coal.   
Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon   
Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

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

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5   
7   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Uneven   

Streak
Black   
White, Greenish White or Grey   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Irregular   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4   
3.2-3.5   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
1100-1400 g/cm3   
3.1-3.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K   
4
Not Available   

Resistance
Heat Resistant   
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam   
India, Russia   

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania   
South Africa   

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom   
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela   
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria   
New Zealand, Queensland   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Coal and Pyroxenite Properties

Know all about Coal and Pyroxenite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coal belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Pyroxenite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic. Coal appears Veined or Pebbled and Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Coal and Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Coal are alumina refineries, electricity generation, liquid fuel, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, paper industry and that of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.

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