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Dunite
Dunite

Skarn
Skarn



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Dunite
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Dunite vs Skarn

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Definition

Definition

Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine
Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin

History

Origin

New Zealand
USA, Australia

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Tornebohm

Etymology

From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1
From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.

Class

Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
-

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Phaneritic
Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Rough and Shiny
Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
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 a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

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, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Types

Dunite
Endoskarns

Features

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock
Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

Formation

Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Skarn is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide
Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
-

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular
Irregular

Streak

White
Light to dark brown

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Shiny
Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

107.55 N/mm270.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
Slaty

Toughness

2.1
2.4

Specific Gravity

3-3.012.86
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.84-2.85 g/cm32.8-2.9 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.25 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey
China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka

Africa

Morocco, South Africa
South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

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

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia

Dunite vs Skarn Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Dunite and Skarn Reserves. Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine. Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Dunite vs Skarn information and Dunite vs Skarn characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Dunite vs Skarn 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. Dunite vs Skarn characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dunite and Properties of Skarn. Learn more about Dunite vs Skarn in the next section. The interior uses of Dunite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Skarn include Decorative aggregates, Entryways and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Dunite and Skarn, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dunite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Skarn include 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, Gold and silver production, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Dunite and Skarn

Here you can know more about Dunite and Skarn. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dunite and Skarn consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dunite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Skarn includes Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Dunite vs Skarn, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas, Skarn is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Dunite is Rough and Shiny and that of Skarn is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dunite vs Skarn. The hardness of Dunite is 3.5-4 and that of Skarn is 6.5. The types of Dunite are Dunite whereas types of Skarn are Endoskarns. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Dunite is white while that of Skarn is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Dunite is 1.25 kJ/Kg K and that of Skarn is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Dunite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Skarn is heat resistant.