Dunite

Litchfieldite

Dunite and Litchfieldite

Dunite

Litchfieldite

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Definition

Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine

Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite

History

Origin

New Zealand

USA

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Hochstetter

Bayley

Etymology

From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1

From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Granular

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey

Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Shiny

Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Creating Artwork

Types

Dunite

Borolanite and Litchfieldite

Features

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.

Litchfieldite 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

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-45.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal to Uneven

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Greasy to Dull

Compressive Strength

107.55 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

3-3.012.6

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.84-2.85 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.25 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

South Africa

Europe

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Finland, Norway, Portugal

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Dunite and Litchfieldite Properties

Know all about Dunite and Litchfieldite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Dunite and Litchfieldite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Dunite is Phaneritic whereas that of Litchfieldite is Granular. Dunite appears Rough and Shiny and Litchfieldite appears Banded and Foilated. The luster of Dunite is shiny while that of Litchfieldite is greasy to dull. Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas Litchfieldite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Dunite and Litchfieldite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds.