Pseudotachylite

Pyroxenite

Pseudotachylite and Pyroxenite

Pseudotachylite

Pyroxenite

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Definition

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

Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Quench

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Cataclastic rock

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Features

Host Rock for Lead

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

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.

Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.

Composition

Mineral Content

Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides

Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

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Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Streak

Light to dark brown

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

60.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.46-2.863.2-3.5

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.7-2.9 g/cm³3.1-3.6 g/cm³

0 1400

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Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

South Korea

India, Russia

Africa

Western Africa

South Africa

Europe

Great Britain, Switzerland

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Pseudotachylite and Pyroxenite Properties

Know all about Pseudotachylite and Pyroxenite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Pseudotachylite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Pyroxenite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Pseudotachylite is Quench whereas that of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic. Pseudotachylite appears Dull and Soft and Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Pseudotachylite is vitreous while that of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Pseudotachylite are creating artwork, gemstone and that of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.