Definition
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.
Theralite is a plutonic hylocrystalline igneous rock consisting of augite, olivine, calcic plagioclase and nepheline
History
Origin
USA
-
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From pseudo- + tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.
From Greek to pursue
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
-
Plutonic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Quench
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Dark Grey to Black
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Veined and Shiny
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, 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
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, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Cataclastic rock
Teschenite and Essexite
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
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.
Theralite 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
Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, 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
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
77
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal
Streak
Light to dark brown
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Vitreous
Waxy and Dull
Compressive Strength
60.00 N/mm2210.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
-
1.5
Specific Gravity
2.46-2.862.5-2.8
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Transparent to Translucent
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.7-2.9 g/cm32.7 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
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, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
-
Canada, USA
South America
-
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, Queensland