Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
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
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Vitreous
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Dark Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Glassy
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
Antiquity Uses
-
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Volcanic glass
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
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.
Tachylite 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
-
Feldspar, Olivine
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Fe, Mg
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact 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
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Resinous
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
3.058 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
East Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Victoria
Lignite vs Tachylite 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 Tachylite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Tachylite. Learn more about Lignite vs Tachylite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include whereas the interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Tachylite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Tachylite include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers.
More about Lignite and Tachylite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Tachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Tachylite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite includes and mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Tachylite, 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, Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Tachylite is Glassy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Tachylite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Tachylite is 5.5. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Tachylite are Volcanic glass. 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 Tachylite is vermilion. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Tachylite is 0.56 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 Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.