Gabbro

Harzburgite

Gabbro and Harzburgite

Gabbro

Harzburgite

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Definition

Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and olivine

History

Origin

Germany

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Unknown

Etymology

From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

From the name of a town in Harzburg, Germany

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Color

Dark Grey to Black

Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Veined and Shiny

Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

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

Types

Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Ultramafic rock

Features

Smooth to touch

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

Harzburgite 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

Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

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

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75.5-6

1 7

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Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular

Streak

Black

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.6

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.873-3.01

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³3.1-3.4 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K1.25 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Japan, Oman

Africa

South Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

France, Germany, Italy

Others

Greenland

Hawaii Islands, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Gabbro and Harzburgite Properties

Know all about Gabbro and Harzburgite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gabbro and Harzburgite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Gabbro is Phaneritic whereas that of Harzburgite is Phaneritic. Gabbro appears Veined and Shiny and Harzburgite appears Rough and Shiny. The luster of Gabbro is while that of Harzburgite is shiny. Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors whereas Harzburgite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. The commercial uses of Gabbro are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones and that of Harzburgite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds.