Kimberlite

Lherzolite

Kimberlite and Lherzolite

Kimberlite

Lherzolite

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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.

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

History

Origin

Kimberley, South Africa

France

Discoverer

John W. Judd

Unknown

Etymology

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

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

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Grenue

Color

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

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, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

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

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

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, 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)

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

Types

Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites

Garnet Lherzolite

Features

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

Host Rock for Lead

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.

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

Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene

Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite

Compound Content

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

CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

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

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76.5

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

260.00 N/mm²290.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Conchoidal

Perfect

Toughness

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.86

0 8.4

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Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.95-2.96 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.95 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia

Russia, South Korea

Africa

Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa

Western Africa

Europe

England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Others

Antarctica

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Kimberlite and Lherzolite Properties

Know all about Kimberlite and Lherzolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Kimberlite and Lherzolite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Kimberlite is Porphyritic whereas that of Lherzolite is Grenue. Kimberlite appears Dull and Banded and Lherzolite appears Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated. The luster of Kimberlite and Lherzolite is subvitreous to dull. Kimberlite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors whereas Lherzolite is available in black, dark greenish - grey, green, pink, purple 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 Lherzolite are as armour rock for sea walls, source of magnesia (mgo), used in aquariums.