Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Basanite is a black basaltic rock which mainly contains plagioclase, augite, olivine and nepheline and is formerly used as a touchstone
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From Latin basanites + -ite
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Whetstones
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts, Monuments
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
As a touchstone, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Nepheline-Basanite, Analcite-Basanite and Leucite-Basanite
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Used as a touchstone
Archaeological Significance
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.
Basanite is a fine-grained, hard rock that forms when bits of lava shoot out of volcanoes.
Mineral Content
-
Augite, Feldspar, Ilmenite, Olivine, Plagioclase
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Waxy and Dull
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.5-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.7 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
-
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Uganda
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain
Others
-
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Bolivia, Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Lignite vs Basanite 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 Basanite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Basanite . Learn more about Lignite vs Basanite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Basanite include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Basanite , they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Basanite include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.
More about Lignite and Basanite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Basanite . The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Basanite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Basanite includes Augite, Feldspar, Ilmenite, Olivine, Plagioclase. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Basanite , 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, Basanite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Basanite is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Basanite . The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Basanite is 7. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Basanite are Nepheline-Basanite, Analcite-Basanite and Leucite-Basanite. 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 Basanite is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Basanite is 0.74 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 Basanite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.