Pyroxenite

Rhyolite

Pyroxenite and Rhyolite

Pyroxenite

Rhyolite

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Definition

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

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

History

Origin

North America

Discoverer

Unknown

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Etymology

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

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Color

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

Grey, White, Light Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

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

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

Types

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

Features

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

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

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.

Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

76-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Sub-conchoidal

Streak

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Earthy

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²140.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

3.2-3.52.65-2.67

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

3.1-3.6 g/cm³2.4-2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

China, India

Africa

South Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Pyroxenite and Rhyolite Properties

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