Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Norite is a mafic intrusive igneous rock composed largely of the calcium-rich plagioclase labradorite, orthopyroxene, and olivine
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From the Norwegian name for Norway, Norge
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
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 Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Veined and Shiny
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Not Yet Used
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
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
Smooth to touch
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
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
Norite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
Not Available
Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Not Available
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
1.6
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.7-3.3 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
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
India, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
Not Yet Found
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New Zealand, Queensland
Lignite vs Norite 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 Norite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Norite. Learn more about Lignite vs Norite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Norite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Norite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Norite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Lignite and Norite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Norite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Norite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite is not available and mineral content of Norite includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Norite, 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, Norite is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Norite is Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Norite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Norite is 7. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Norite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Lignite and Norite is black. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Norite is Not Available. 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 Norite is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.