Gossan

Picrite

Gossan and Picrite

Gossan

Picrite

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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.

Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine

History

Origin

Indonesia

Hawaii Islands

Discoverer

Cornish Gossen

Unknown

Etymology

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit

From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Rough, Sandy

Earthy, Rough

Color

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Banded

Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone

As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan

Oceanite

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.

Picrite 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

Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite

Compound Content

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

Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-56.8

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven

Streak

White to Grey

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

-189.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.02.75-2.92

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm³1.5-2.5 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.24 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

India, Russia

Africa

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

South Africa

Europe

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom

Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia

All about Gossan and Picrite Properties

Know all about Gossan and Picrite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Gossan belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Picrite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Gossan is Rough, Sandy whereas that of Picrite is Earthy, Rough. Gossan appears Dull and Banded and Picrite appears Rough and Shiny. The luster of Gossan is metallic while that of Picrite is subvitreous to dull. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas Picrite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Gossan are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, gemstone and that of Picrite are as a feed additive for livestock, as armour rock for sea walls, metallurgical flux, pottery, source of magnesia (mgo).