Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica
Origin
France
North America
Discoverer
Unknown
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Grey, White, Light Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Banded
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
-
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors
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.
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.
Mineral Content
-
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional 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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Large and Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Sub-conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Earthy
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.65-2.67
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.4-2.6 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
China, India
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, 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, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
Lignite vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Rhyolite. Learn more about Lignite vs Rhyolite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Rhyolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Rhyolite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives.
More about Lignite and Rhyolite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Rhyolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Rhyolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Rhyolite, 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, Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Rhyolite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Rhyolite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Rhyolite is 6-7. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.. 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 Rhyolite is . The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhyolite is 0.71 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 Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.