Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex
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
Vesicular
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Beige, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Vesicular
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing, Powder
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks
Medical Industry
-
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Scoria
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Host Rock for Lead
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.
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.
Mineral Content
-
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Planar
Streak
Black
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Earthy
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
0.25-0.3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New Zealand, Western Australia
Lignite vs Pumice 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 Pumice characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Pumice. Learn more about Lignite vs Pumice in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Pumice, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Pumice include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks.
More about Lignite and Pumice
Here you can know more about Lignite and Pumice. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Pumice consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Pumice, 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, Pumice is available in beige, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Pumice is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Pumice. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Pumice is 6. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Pumice are Scoria. 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 Pumice is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Pumice is 0.87 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 Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant.