Quartzite

Pyroxenite

Quartzite and Pyroxenite

Quartzite

Pyroxenite

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Definition

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone

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

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From quartz + -ite

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

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated, Granular

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Light Grey, Purple, White, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Lustrous

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

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

Types

Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.

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

Composition

Mineral Content

Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

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

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

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, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77

1 7

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Grain Size

Medium Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Uneven

Streak

White

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Indiscernible

Toughness

1.9

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.83.2-3.5

0 8.4

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Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm³3.1-3.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.75 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

India, Russia

Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

South Africa

Europe

England, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United Kingdom

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Bahamas, Canada, USA

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Quartzite and Pyroxenite Properties

Know all about Quartzite and Pyroxenite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Quartzite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Pyroxenite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Quartzite is Foliated, Granular whereas that of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic. Quartzite appears Lustrous and Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Quartzite is vitreous while that of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors whereas Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Quartzite are an oil and gas reservoir, as armour rock for sea walls, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, in aquifers, laboratory bench tops, petroleum reservoirs, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones, used in aquariums and that of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.