Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture
Origin
France
Tonale, Italy
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
From Tonale Pass, northern Italy, + -ite1
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, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Banded and Foilated
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Not Yet Used
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Dacite
Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Is one of the oldest rock, Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
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.
When alkali feldspar is extracted from granite, it changes to granitoid and later, it becomes tonalite with quartz as major mineral.
Mineral Content
Not Available
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
NaCl, CaO, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
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
Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
Black
Bluish Black
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
2.1
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.86-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
800-801 g/cm3
2.73 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Not Yet Found
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Egypt
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia
Lignite vs Tonalite 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 Tonalite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Tonalite. Learn more about Lignite vs Tonalite in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Tonalite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Tonalite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Tonalite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Lignite and Tonalite
Here you can know more about Lignite and Tonalite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Tonalite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite is not available and mineral content of Tonalite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Tonalite, 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, Tonalite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Tonalite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Tonalite. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Tonalite is 6-7. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite whereas types of Tonalite are Dacite. 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 Tonalite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K and that of Tonalite 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 Tonalite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.
