Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From the Middle High German verb gneist (to spark; so called because the rock glitters)
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Banded, Foliated, Platy
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Pink, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Foliated
Interior Uses
-
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss.
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
-
Konark Sun Temple in India, Washington Monument, US
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.
Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock i.e. it has been subjected to higher temperatures and pressures than schist. It is formed by the metamorphosis of Gneiss forms from volcanic rock, shale or granitie.
Mineral Content
-
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Irregular
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Dull
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.5-2.7
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.6-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria
Lignite vs Gneiss 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 Gneiss characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Gneiss. Learn more about Lignite vs Gneiss in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Gneiss include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Gneiss, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Gneiss include As dimension stone.
More about Lignite and Gneiss
Here you can know more about Lignite and Gneiss. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Gneiss consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Gneiss includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Gneiss, 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, Gneiss is available in black, brown, pink, red, white colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Gneiss is Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Gneiss. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Gneiss is 7. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Gneiss are Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss.. 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 Gneiss is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Gneiss is 0.70 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 Gneiss is heat resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant.