Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
  
A ganister is a hard, fine-grained quartzose sandstone or orthoquartzite which is basically used in the manufacture of silica brick typically used to line furnaces and is a type of sedimentary rocks.
  
History
  
  
Origin
France
  
England
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
  
From gan′is-ter i.e a hard, close-grained siliceous stone, often forming the stratum which underlies a coal-seam
  
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
  
Clastic, Granular, Rough
  
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
  
Maintenance
Less
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
No
  
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
  
Rough
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
  
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones
  
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
  
Not Available
  
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Pictographs
Used
  
Not Used
  
Petroglyphs
Used
  
Not Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Present
  
Present
  
Formation
Coal formation takes place due to accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. The Coal formation process continues, as peat turns into lignite brown or black coal at increasing heat and pressure.
  
Ganisters are formed by the destruction of easily weathered minerals mainly feldspar, within the surface horizon of soil by soil-forming processes.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Not Available
  
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
  
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
No
  
No
  
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
1
  
6-7
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Coarse or Fine
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Splintery
  
Streak
Black
  
White
  
Porosity
Highly Porous
  
Highly Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Dull
  
Compressive Strength
Not Available
  
95.00 N/mm
2
  
20
Cleavage
Non-Existent
  
Perfect
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
2.6
  
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
  
2.2-2.8
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
800-801 g/cm3
  
2.2-2.8 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
1.26 kJ/Kg K
  
5
0.92 kJ/Kg K
  
10
Resistance
Heat Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
  
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
  
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
  
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Greenland
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
Canada, USA
  
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Brazil
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
  
New South Wales, New Zealand
  
All about Lignite and Ganister Properties
Know all about Lignite and Ganister properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Lignite and Ganister belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Lignite is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Ganister is Clastic, Granular, Rough. Lignite appears Veined or Pebbled and Ganister appears Rough. The luster of Lignite is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Ganister is dull. Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Ganister is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Lignite are electricity generation and that of Ganister are an oil and gas reservoir, in aquifers, petroleum reservoirs, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones.