Lherzolite

Pyroxenite

Lherzolite and Pyroxenite

Lherzolite

Pyroxenite

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Definition

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

Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine

History

Origin

France

Discoverer

Unknown

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 pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Grenue

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Color

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

Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

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

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

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

Types

Garnet Lherzolite

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

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.

Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.

Composition

Mineral Content

Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite

Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene

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, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical 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

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Uneven

Streak

White

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

290.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.863.2-3.5

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³3.1-3.6 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

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia, South Korea

India, Russia

Africa

Western Africa

South Africa

Europe

United Kingdom

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Lherzolite and Pyroxenite Properties

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