Picrite

Gossan

Picrite and Gossan

Picrite

Gossan

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.

History

Origin

Hawaii Islands

Indonesia

Discoverer

Unknown

Cornish Gossen

Etymology

From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century

From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Earthy, Rough

Rough, Sandy

Color

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

Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Shiny

Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone

Types

Oceanite

Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates

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.

Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite

Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon

Compound Content

Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

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

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.84-5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Conchoidal

Streak

White, Greenish White or Grey

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

Metallic

Compressive Strength

189.00 N/mm²-

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.75-2.922.0

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

1.5-2.5 g/cm³-9999 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.24 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea

Africa

South Africa

Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

Iceland

Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia

All about Picrite and Gossan Properties

Know all about Picrite and Gossan properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Picrite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Gossan belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Picrite is Earthy, Rough whereas that of Gossan is Rough, Sandy. Picrite appears Rough and Shiny and Gossan appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Picrite is subvitreous to dull while that of Gossan is metallic. Picrite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors whereas Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust 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 Gossan are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, gemstone.