Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Granular, Poikiloblastic
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Medical Industry
-
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Carbonatite
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest 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.
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.
Mineral Content
-
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Contact 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, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Subvitreous to Dull
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.84-2.86 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water 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
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
Lignite vs Carbonatite 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 Carbonatite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Carbonatite. Learn more about Lignite vs Carbonatite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Carbonatite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Carbonatite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Carbonatite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.
More about Lignite and Carbonatite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Carbonatite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Carbonatite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Carbonatite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Carbonatite, 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, Carbonatite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Carbonatite is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Carbonatite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Carbonatite is 3. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Carbonatite are Carbonatite. 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 Carbonatite is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Carbonatite is 0.51 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 Carbonatite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.