Pseudotachylite

Wehrlite

Pseudotachylite and Wehrlite

Pseudotachylite

Wehrlite

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Definition

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

Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites

History

Origin

USA

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Alois Wehrle

Etymology

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

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Quench

Banded

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Rough and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Cataclastic rock

Ultramafic rock

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, 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.

Wehrlite 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

Pyroxene

Compound Content

Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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

75.5-6

1 7

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Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Irregular

Streak

Light to dark brown

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Metallic

Compressive Strength

60.00 N/mm²100.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.46-2.868.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.7-2.9 g/cm³2.6-3.7 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.63 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

South Korea

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

Africa

Western Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Great Britain, Switzerland

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

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Pseudotachylite and Wehrlite Properties

Know all about Pseudotachylite and Wehrlite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Pseudotachylite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Wehrlite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Pseudotachylite is Quench whereas that of Wehrlite is Banded. Pseudotachylite appears Dull and Soft and Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded. The luster of Pseudotachylite is vitreous while that of Wehrlite is metallic. Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. The commercial uses of Pseudotachylite are creating artwork, gemstone and that of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.