Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
Discoverer
Unknown
Cornish Gossen
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic 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, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Rough, Sandy
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Dull and Banded
Interior Uses
-
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
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
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.
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Mineral Content
-
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
Black
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Metallic
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
-9999 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
Lignite vs Gossan 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 Gossan characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Gossan. Learn more about Lignite vs Gossan in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Gossan, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Gossan include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Lignite and Gossan
Here you can know more about Lignite and Gossan. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Gossan consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Gossan, 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, Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Gossan is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Gossan. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Gossan is 4-5. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan. 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 Gossan is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Gossan is 0.24 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 Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.