Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
  
Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine
  
History
  
  
Origin
France
  
New Zealand
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Ferdinand von Hochstetter
  
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
  
From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1
  
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Igneous Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Not Applicable
  
Plutonic
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
  
Phaneritic
  
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Dark Greenish - Grey
  
Maintenance
Less
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
No
  
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
  
Rough and Shiny
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, 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
  
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds
  
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
  
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest 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
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Present
  
Absent
  
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.
  
Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Not Available
  
Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
  
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
No
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
1
  
3.5-4
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Irregular
  
Streak
Black
  
White
  
Porosity
Highly Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Shiny
  
Compressive Strength
Not Available
  
107.55 N/mm
2
  
19
Cleavage
Non-Existent
  
Imperfect
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
2.1
  
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
  
3-3.01
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Translucent to Opaque
  
Density
800-801 g/cm3
  
2.84-2.85 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
1.26 kJ/Kg K
  
5
1.25 kJ/Kg K
  
6
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
  
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey
  
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Morocco, South Africa
  
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
Canada, USA
  
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
  
New Zealand, Western Australia
  
Lignite vs Dunite 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 Dunite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Dunite. Learn more about Lignite vs Dunite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Dunite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Dunite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Dunite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.
More about Lignite and Dunite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Dunite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Dunite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite is not available and mineral content of Dunite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Dunite, 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, Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Dunite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Dunite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Dunite is 3.5-4. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Dunite are Not Available. 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 Dunite is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Dunite is 1.25 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 Dunite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.