Definition
Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine
Migmatite is typically a granitic rock within a metamorphic host rock which is composed of two intermingled but distinguishable components
Origin
-
Southern Alps, France
Discoverer
Unknown
Jakob Sederholm
Etymology
From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks
From the Greek word migma which means a mixture
Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic
Foliated
Color
Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Brown- Black, Dark Greenish - Grey, Dark Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Countertops, Flooring, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used to manufracture paperweights and bookends
Types
Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites
Diatexites and Metatexites
Features
Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
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.
Migmatites form by high temperature regional and thermal metamorphism of protolith rocks where rocks melt partially due to high temperature.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Irregular
Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous
Specific Gravity
3.2-3.5
2.65-2.75
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.1-3.6 g/cm3
-9999 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia
Africa
South Africa
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo
Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria
All about Pyroxenite and Migmatite Properties
Know all about Pyroxenite and Migmatite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Pyroxenite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Migmatite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic whereas that of Migmatite is Foliated. Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Migmatite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated. The luster of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Migmatite is dull to pearly to subvitreous. Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors whereas Migmatite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, brown- black, dark greenish - grey, dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones and that of Migmatite are cemetery markers, jewelry, tombstones, used to manufracture paperweights and bookends.