Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows
Origin
France
New Zealand
Discoverer
Unknown
Patrick Marshall
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From Latin ignis fire + imber, imbr- shower of rain, storm cloud + -ite
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
Aphanitic
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Beige, Black, Brown, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Pyroclastic rock
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
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.
Ignimbrites are formed from very poorly sorted mixture of volcanic ash or tuff and pumice lapilli, commonly with scattered lithic fragments.
Mineral Content
-
Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Ca, NaCl
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Vitreous to Dull
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.73
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
1-1.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
-
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Central Australia, Western Australia
Lignite vs Ignimbrite 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 Ignimbrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Ignimbrite. Learn more about Lignite vs Ignimbrite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Ignimbrite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Ignimbrite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Ignimbrite include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate.
More about Lignite and Ignimbrite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Ignimbrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Ignimbrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Ignimbrite includes Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Ignimbrite, 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, Ignimbrite is available in beige, black, brown, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Ignimbrite is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Ignimbrite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Ignimbrite is 4-6. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Ignimbrite are Pyroclastic rock. 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 Ignimbrite is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Ignimbrite is 0.20 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 Ignimbrite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.