Lherzolite

Diabase

Lherzolite and Diabase

Lherzolite

Diabase

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Definition

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

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

History

Origin

France

Germany

Discoverer

Unknown

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

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

From Greek di + base

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Grenue

Aphanitic, Granular

Color

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

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated

Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Garnet Lherzolite

Dolerite

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

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.

Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.

Composition

Mineral Content

Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Compound Content

CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.57

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

290.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.7

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.862.86-2.87

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.95 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia, South Korea

India

Africa

Western Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

United Kingdom

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Lherzolite and Diabase Properties

Know all about Lherzolite and Diabase properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Lherzolite and Diabase belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Lherzolite is Grenue whereas that of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular. Lherzolite appears Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated and Diabase appears Vesicular. The luster of Lherzolite is subvitreous to dull while that of Diabase is . Lherzolite is available in black, dark greenish - grey, green, pink, purple colors whereas Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Lherzolite are as armour rock for sea walls, source of magnesia (mgo), used in aquariums and that of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.