Picrite

Dunite

Picrite and Dunite

Picrite

Dunite

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Definition

Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine

Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine

History

Origin

Hawaii Islands

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Ferdinand von Hochstetter

Etymology

From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century

From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Earthy, Rough

Phaneritic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow

Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

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

Types

Oceanite

Dunite

Features

Host Rock for Lead

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Picrite 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.

Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite

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

Compound Content

Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

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

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.83.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Irregular

Streak

White, Greenish White or Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Shiny

Compressive Strength

189.00 N/mm²107.55 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.75-2.923-3.01

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

1.5-2.5 g/cm³2.84-2.85 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K1.25 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

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

Africa

South Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Iceland

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

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Picrite and Dunite Properties

Know all about Picrite and Dunite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Picrite and Dunite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Picrite is Earthy, Rough whereas that of Dunite is Phaneritic. Picrite appears Rough and Shiny and Dunite appears Rough and Shiny. The luster of Picrite is subvitreous to dull while that of Dunite is shiny. Picrite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors whereas Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. The commercial uses of Picrite are as a feed additive for livestock, as armour rock for sea walls, metallurgical flux, pottery, source of magnesia (mgo) and that of Dunite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds.