Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
An iron rich extrusive rock found as a member of the alkali basalt magma series
Origin
France
Isle of Mull, Scotland
Discoverer
Unknown
Ben More
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From the name of discoverer, Ben More
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Trachytic, Vesicular
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
-
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) and Tholeiitic Basalt
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
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.
Benmoreite is a type of Igneous rock which is formed through the cooling and solidification of lava or magma. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
-
Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodic plagioclase
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Earthy
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
India, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Iceland
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
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Lignite vs Benmoreite 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 Benmoreite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Benmoreite. Learn more about Lignite vs Benmoreite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Benmoreite include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Benmoreite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Benmoreite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.
More about Lignite and Benmoreite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Benmoreite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Benmoreite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Benmoreite includes Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodic plagioclase. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Benmoreite, 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, Benmoreite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Benmoreite is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Benmoreite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Benmoreite is 6. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Benmoreite are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) and Tholeiitic Basalt. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Lignite and Benmoreite is black. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Benmoreite is 0.84 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 Benmoreite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.