Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
  
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.
  
History
  
  
Origin
France
  
USA
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
  
From pseudo- + tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.
  
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Metamorphic Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
  
Quench
  
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
  
Maintenance
Less
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
No
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
  
Dull and Soft
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Artifacts, Monuments
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
  
Creating Artwork, Gemstone
  
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
  
Host Rock for Lead
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Pictographs
Used
  
Not Used
  
Petroglyphs
Used
  
Not Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet 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.
  
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Not Available
  
Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides
  
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
No
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
  
Weathering
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Not Applicable
  
Erosion
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Not Applicable
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
1
  
7
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Very fine-grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Uneven
  
Streak
Black
  
Light to dark brown
  
Porosity
Highly Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Vitreous
  
Compressive Strength
Not Available
  
60.00 N/mm
2
  
25
Cleavage
Non-Existent
  
Irregular
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
  
2.46-2.86
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Transparent to Translucent
  
Density
800-801 g/cm3
  
2.7-2.9 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
1.26 kJ/Kg K
  
5
0.92 kJ/Kg K
  
10
Resistance
Heat Resistant
  
Heat Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
  
South Korea
  
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Western Africa
  
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
Great Britain, Switzerland
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
Not Yet Found
  
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
  
Central Australia, Western Australia
  
Lignite vs Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Pseudotachylite. Learn more about Lignite vs Pseudotachylite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Pseudotachylite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Pseudotachylite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Pseudotachylite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement.
More about Lignite and Pseudotachylite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Pseudotachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Pseudotachylite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite is not available and mineral content of Pseudotachylite includes Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Pseudotachylite, 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, Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Pseudotachylite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Pseudotachylite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Pseudotachylite is 7. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Pseudotachylite is 0.92 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 Pseudotachylite is heat resistant.