Peridotite

Wehrlite

Peridotite and Wehrlite

Peridotite

Wehrlite

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Definition

Peridotite is a dense, coarse-grained plutonic is the main constituent of the earth's mantle

Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites

History

Origin

Pike County, U.S

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Alois Wehrle

Etymology

From French, from peridot +‎ -ite

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Banded

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Shiny

Rough and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, 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

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Dunite, Wehrlite, Harzburgite, Lherzolite and Pyrolite

Ultramafic rock

Features

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Peridotites can be formed in two ways: as mantle rocks formed during the accretion and differentiation of the Earth or as cumulate rocks formed by precipitation of olivine and pyroxenes from basaltic magmas.

Wehrlite 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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Pyroxene

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5.5-65.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Metallic

Compressive Strength

107.55 N/mm²100.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

3-3.018.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

3.1-3.4 g/cm³2.6-3.7 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.26 kJ/Kg K0.63 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Peridotite and Wehrlite Properties

Know all about Peridotite and Wehrlite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Peridotite and Wehrlite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Peridotite is Phaneritic whereas that of Wehrlite is Banded. Peridotite appears Rough and Shiny and Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded. The luster of Peridotite is shiny while that of Wehrlite is metallic. Peridotite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. The commercial uses of Peridotite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds and that of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.