Definition
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vesicular
Amorphous, Glassy
Color
Beige, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Vesicular
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
-
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
-
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Powder
-
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Medical Industry
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
-
Commercial Uses
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums
Electricity Generation
Types
Scoria
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.
Coal formation takes place due to accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. The Coal formation process continues, as peat turns into lignite brown or black coal at increasing heat and pressure.
Mineral Content
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica
-
Compound Content
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Planar
Conchoidal
Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey
Black
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Earthy
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Specific Gravity
2.86
1.1-1.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
0.25-0.3 g/cm3
800-801 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Pumice vs Lignite 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. Pumice vs Lignite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pumice and Properties of Lignite. Learn more about Pumice vs Lignite in the next section. The interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Lignite include . Due to some exceptional properties of Pumice and Lignite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pumice in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks and that of Lignite include For road aggregate, Steel production.
More about Pumice and Lignite
Here you can know more about Pumice and Lignite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pumice and Lignite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica and mineral content of Lignite includes . You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pumice vs Lignite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pumice is available in beige, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors whereas, Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Pumice is Vesicular and that of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pumice vs Lignite. The hardness of Pumice is 6 and that of Lignite is 1. The types of Pumice are Scoria whereas types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Pumice is white, greenish white or grey while that of Lignite is black. The specific heat capacity of Pumice is 0.87 kJ/Kg K and that of Lignite is 1.26 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Lignite is heat resistant.