Definition
Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters
Origin
Hawaii Islands
Italy
Discoverer
Unknown
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Etymology
From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy, Rough
Banded
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Rough and Shiny
Fibrous
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, 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
Curbing
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, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery
Types
Oceanite
Not Available
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
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.
Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.
Mineral Content
Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Compound Content
Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO
Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Splintery
Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Dull to Pearly
Cleavage
Imperfect
Non-Existent
Specific Gravity
2.75-2.92
1.68
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1.5-2.5 g/cm3
2.71 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
China, Russia
Africa
South Africa
Not Yet Found
Europe
Iceland
Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Picrite vs Travertine 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. Picrite vs Travertine characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Picrite and Properties of Travertine. Learn more about Picrite vs Travertine in the next section. The interior uses of Picrite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Picrite and Travertine, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Picrite in construction industry include 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. and that of Travertine include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.
More about Picrite and Travertine
Here you can know more about Picrite and Travertine. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Picrite and Travertine consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Picrite includes Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite and mineral content of Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Picrite vs Travertine, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Picrite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors whereas, Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Picrite is Rough and Shiny and that of Travertine is Fibrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Picrite vs Travertine. The hardness of Picrite is 6.8 and that of Travertine is 3-4. The types of Picrite are Oceanite whereas types of Travertine are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Picrite and Travertine is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Picrite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Travertine is 1.09 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Picrite is heat resistant whereas Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.
