Definition
Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions
Websterite is ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that consists of roughly equal proportions of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. It is a special type of pyroxenite.
History
Origin
France
Webster, North Carolina
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 the town of Webster located in North Carolina
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
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
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
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, Creating Artwork, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Garnet Lherzolite
Ultramafic rock
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
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.
Websterite can be formed as cumulates in ultramafic intrusions by accumulation of pyroxene crystals at the base of the lava chamber.
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
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
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
Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Compressive Strength
290.00 N/mm295.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Perfect
-
Toughness
2.7
-
Specific Gravity
2.863.2-3.5
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm33.1-3.6 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.95 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
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