Pseudotachylite

Latite

Pseudotachylite and Latite

Pseudotachylite

Latite

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Definition

Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.

Latite is an igneous, volcanic rock, with aphanitic-aphyric to aphyric-porphyritic texture

History

Origin

USA

Italy

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From pseudo- +‎ tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.

From the Latin word latium

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Quench

Aphanitic to Porphyritic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Rough

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Metallurgical Flux, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Cataclastic rock

Rhomb porphyries

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Latite 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

Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides

Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur

CaO, Cl, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75-5.5

1 7

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Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

60.00 N/mm²310.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.46-2.862.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Translucent

Density

2.7-2.9 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

South Korea

Africa

Western Africa

Europe

Great Britain, Switzerland

Bulgaria

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

South America

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Pseudotachylite and Latite Properties

Know all about Pseudotachylite and Latite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Pseudotachylite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Latite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Pseudotachylite is Quench whereas that of Latite is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Pseudotachylite appears Dull and Soft and Latite appears Rough. The luster of Pseudotachylite is vitreous while that of Latite is subvitreous to dull. Pseudotachylite and Latite are available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Pseudotachylite are creating artwork, gemstone and that of Latite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, metallurgical flux, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).