Gossan

Lherzolite

Gossan and Lherzolite

Gossan

Lherzolite

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Definition

Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.

Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions

History

Origin

Indonesia

France

Discoverer

Cornish Gossen

Unknown

Etymology

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit

From the Lherz Massif, an alpine peridotite complex, at Étang de Lers, near Massat in the French Pyrenees; Lherz is the archaic spelling of this location

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Rough, Sandy

Grenue

Color

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust

Black, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Pink, Purple

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Banded

Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Landscaping, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone

As armour rock for sea walls, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Used in aquariums

Types

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan

Garnet Lherzolite

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.

Lherzolite 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

Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon

Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur

CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-56.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

-290.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.02.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.24 kJ/Kg K0.95 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea

Russia, South Korea

Africa

Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Western Africa

Europe

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Gossan and Lherzolite Properties

Know all about Gossan and Lherzolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gossan belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Lherzolite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Gossan is Rough, Sandy whereas that of Lherzolite is Grenue. Gossan appears Dull and Banded and Lherzolite appears Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated. The luster of Gossan is metallic while that of Lherzolite is subvitreous to dull. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas Lherzolite is available in black, dark greenish - grey, green, pink, purple colors. The commercial uses of Gossan are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, gemstone and that of Lherzolite are as armour rock for sea walls, source of magnesia (mgo), used in aquariums.