Definition
Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
Discoverer
Unknown
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 French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Plutonic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Grenue
Foliated, Platy
Color
Black, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Pink, Purple
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Layered and Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Not Yet Used
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, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Used in aquariums
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Types
Garnet Lherzolite
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Figurines
Used
Not Yet Used
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.
Schist formed by dynamic metamorphism at high temperatures and pressures that aligns the grains of mica, hornblende and other elongated minerals into thin layers.
Mineral Content
Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
Compound Content
CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Shiny
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.86
2.5-2.9
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Russia, South Korea
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Western Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
United Kingdom
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland