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Litchfieldite and Pumice


Pumice and Litchfieldite


Definition

Definition
Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite   
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Spain   

Discoverer
Bayley   
Unknown   

Etymology
From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA   
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Granular   
Vesicular   

Color
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White   
Beige, Colourless, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Banded and Foilated   
Vesicular   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing, Powder   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork   
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

Types
Borolanite and Litchfieldite   
Scoria   

Features
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock   
Host Rock for Lead   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Litchfieldite 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.   
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite   
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5.5-6   
6   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal to Uneven   
Planar   

Streak
White   
White, Greenish White or Grey   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Greasy to Dull   
Earthy   

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2   
14
51.20 N/mm2   
26

Cleavage
Poor   
Perfect   

Toughness
Not Available   
3   

Specific Gravity
2.6   
2.86   

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6 g/cm3   
0.25-0.3 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.87 kJ/Kg K   
14

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Not Yet Found   
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia   

Africa
South Africa   
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania   

Europe
Finland, Norway, Portugal   
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada   
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
New Zealand, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Litchfieldite and Pumice Properties

Know all about Litchfieldite and Pumice properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Litchfieldite and Pumice belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Litchfieldite is Granular whereas that of Pumice is Vesicular. Litchfieldite appears Banded and Foilated and Pumice appears Vesicular. The luster of Litchfieldite is greasy to dull while that of Pumice is earthy. Litchfieldite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Pumice is available in beige, colourless, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors. The commercial uses of Litchfieldite are creating artwork and that of Pumice are 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.

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