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Pegmatite vs Amphibolite


Amphibolite vs Pegmatite


Definition

Definition
Pegmatite rock is a holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is composed of interlocking phaneritic crystals  
Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
-  

Discoverer
R. J. Hauy  
Alexandre Brongniart  

Etymology
From Greek pegma, pegmat which means- thing joined together + -ite  
From Amphibole + -ite  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic  
-  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Pegmatitic  
Banded, Foliated, Massive  

Color
Black, Brown, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow  
Black, Brown, Green, 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
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  
Foliated  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Jewelry, Source of corundum, tourmalines, beryls and topaz  
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork  

Types

Types
Granite Pegmatite, Gabbro Pegmatite and Diorite Pegmatite  
Hornblendite  

Features
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Source of corundum, tourmalines, beryls and topaz  
Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Pegmatite rock is holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is formed by partial melting and dewatering during the process of metamorphism.  
Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Apatite, Beryl, Feldspar, Fluorite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Quartz, Silica, Spodumene, Topaz  
Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7  
6-7  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
Medium to Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Irregular to Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White to Grey  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous  
Vitreous to Dull  

Compressive Strength
178.54 N/mm2  
19
90.00 N/mm2  
32

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
2.1  
2.3  

Specific Gravity
2.6-2.63  
2.5  

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.6-2.65 g/cm3  
2.85-3.07 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.79 kJ/Kg K  
17
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Iran, Japan, Nepal, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea  
Russia, Turkey  

Africa
South Africa  
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda  

Europe
Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine  
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia  
South Australia, Western Australia  

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Pegmatite vs Amphibolite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Pegmatite and Amphibolite Reserves. Pegmatite rock is a holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is composed of interlocking phaneritic crystals. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Pegmatite vs Amphibolite information and Pegmatite vs Amphibolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Pegmatite vs Amphibolite 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. Pegmatite vs Amphibolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pegmatite and Properties of Amphibolite. Learn more about Pegmatite vs Amphibolite in the next section. The interior uses of Pegmatite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Pegmatite and Amphibolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pegmatite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping and that of Amphibolite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone.

More about Pegmatite and Amphibolite

Here you can know more about Pegmatite and Amphibolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pegmatite and Amphibolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pegmatite includes Apatite, Beryl, Feldspar, Fluorite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Quartz, Silica, Spodumene, Topaz and mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pegmatite vs Amphibolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pegmatite is available in black, brown, cream, green, grey, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors. Appearance of Pegmatite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Amphibolite is Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pegmatite vs Amphibolite. The hardness of Pegmatite is 7 and that of Amphibolite is 6-7. The types of Pegmatite are Granite Pegmatite, Gabbro Pegmatite and Diorite Pegmatite whereas types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Pegmatite is white while that of Amphibolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Pegmatite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Amphibolite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Pegmatite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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