Definition
Lamprophyre is uncommon igneous rocks primarily occurring as dikes, lopoliths, laccoliths, stocks and small intrusions
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Greek lampros bright and shining + porphureos purple
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Porphyritic
Vitreous
Color
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey
Black, Dark Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Glassy
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts
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, Creating Artwork
Types
Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite
Volcanic glass
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Lamprophyre formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface at around 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.
Tachylite 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.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene
Feldspar, Olivine
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Fe, Mg
Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine to Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Resinous
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.4
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.95-2.96 g/cm3
3.058 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Russia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Africa
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa
East Africa
Europe
England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Others
Antarctica, Greenland
Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Victoria
Lamprophyre vs Tachylite Characteristics
Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Lamprophyre vs Tachylite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lamprophyre and Properties of Tachylite. Learn more about Lamprophyre vs Tachylite in the next section. The interior uses of Lamprophyre include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lamprophyre and Tachylite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lamprophyre in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Tachylite include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers.
More about Lamprophyre and Tachylite
Here you can know more about Lamprophyre and Tachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lamprophyre and Tachylite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lamprophyre includes Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene and mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Lamprophyre vs Tachylite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Lamprophyre is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors whereas, Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors. Appearance of Lamprophyre is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Tachylite is Glassy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lamprophyre vs Tachylite. The hardness of Lamprophyre is 5-6 and that of Tachylite is 5.5. The types of Lamprophyre are Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite whereas types of Tachylite are Volcanic glass. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Lamprophyre is white while that of Tachylite is vermilion. The specific heat capacity of Lamprophyre is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Tachylite is 0.56 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Lamprophyre is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.