Kimberlite

Gabbro

Kimberlite and Gabbro

Kimberlite

Gabbro

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Definition

Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.

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

History

Origin

Kimberley, South Africa

Germany

Discoverer

John W. Judd

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

From Kimberley +‎ -ite, from the name of the South African town of Kimberley where the rock was first found.

From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Phaneritic

Color

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

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Banded

Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

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

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

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

Types

Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites

Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Kimberlite is an igneous rock and is the main source of diamonds. Its formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface between 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.

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

Composition

Mineral Content

Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene

Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

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

Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine to Coarse Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

260.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Conchoidal

Toughness

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.86-2.87

0 8.4

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Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.95-2.96 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia

India, Russia

Africa

Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa

South Africa

Europe

England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Antarctica

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Kimberlite and Gabbro Properties

Know all about Kimberlite and Gabbro properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Kimberlite and Gabbro belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Kimberlite is Porphyritic whereas that of Gabbro is Phaneritic. Kimberlite appears Dull and Banded and Gabbro appears Veined and Shiny. The luster of Kimberlite is subvitreous to dull while that of Gabbro is . Kimberlite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors whereas Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Kimberlite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo) and that of Gabbro are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.