Pyroxenite

Adakite

Pyroxenite and Adakite

Pyroxenite

Adakite

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Adakite is an intermediate to felsic volcanic rock that has geochemical characteristics of magma which is said to be formed by partial melting of altered basalt that is subducted below volcanic arcs

History

Origin

Adak, Aleutian Islands

Discoverer

Unknown

Defant and Drummond

Etymology

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

From Adak, Aleutian Islands

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Porphyritic

Color

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

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Commemorative Tablets, Pottery, Used in aquariums

Types

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Intermediate volcanic rock

Features

Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Host rock for Diamond, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

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

Adakite rocks are formed when the hydrous fluids are released from minerals that break down in metamorphosed basalt, and rise into the mantle they initiate partial melting.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

73-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Conchoidal

Streak

White, Greenish White or Grey

Bluish Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²200.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

3.2-3.5-9999

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

3.1-3.6 g/cm³-9999 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Ethiopia, Somalia, South Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Iceland

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Pyroxenite and Adakite Properties

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