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Lignite vs Banded iron formation


Banded iron formation vs Lignite


Definition

Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat   
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age   

History
  
  

Origin
France   
Western Australia, Minnesota   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1   
From its formation process   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy   
Banded, Trellis   

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey   
Red, Reddish Brown   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
No   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Decorative Aggregates, Homes   

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Paving Stone, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production   
As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Not Yet Used   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation   
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite   
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite   

Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel   
Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Present   

Formation

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.   
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Not Available   
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz   

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur   
Fe, Iron(III) 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   
Chemical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Earthy   

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Imperfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4   
5.0-5.3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
800-801 g/cm3   
Not Available   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.26 kJ/Kg K   
5
3.20 kJ/Kg K   
1

Resistance
Heat Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam   
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam   

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania   
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom   
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, Mexico, USA   

South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela   
Bolivia, Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria   
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia   

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Lignite vs Banded iron formation Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Lignite and Banded iron formation Reserves. Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat. Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Lignite vs Banded iron formation information and Lignite vs Banded iron formation characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Lignite vs Banded iron formation Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Lignite vs Banded iron formation characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Banded iron formation. Learn more about Lignite vs Banded iron formation in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Banded iron formation include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Banded iron formation, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Banded iron formation include As dimension stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Lignite and Banded iron formation

Here you can know more about Lignite and Banded iron formation. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Banded iron formation consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite is not available and mineral content of Banded iron formation includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Banded iron formation, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas, Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Banded iron formation is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Banded iron formation. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Banded iron formation is 5.5-6. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Banded iron formation are Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Lignite is black while that of Banded iron formation is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Banded iron formation is 3.20 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Lignite is heat resistant whereas Banded iron formation is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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