Rhyolite

Lignite

Rhyolite vs Lignite

Rhyolite

Lignite

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat

History

Origin

North America

France

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Unknown

Etymology

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

From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Amorphous, Glassy

Color

Grey, White, Light Black

Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Banded

Veined or Pebbled

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Industry

Construction Industry

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

for Road Aggregate, Steel Production

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

Electricity Generation

Types

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

Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite

Features

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

Formation

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

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-71

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Sub-conchoidal

Conchoidal

Streak

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Earthy

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²-

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.671.1-1.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.6 g/cm³800-801 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K1.26 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India

Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

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

Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

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

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Rhyolite vs Lignite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Rhyolite and Lignite Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Rhyolite vs Lignite information and Rhyolite vs Lignite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks » More

Rhyolite vs Kimberlite

Rhyolite vs Pegmatite

Rhyolite vs Granodiorite

» More Compare Igneous Rocks

Rhyolite 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. Rhyolite vs Lignite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Lignite. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Lignite in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Lignite include . Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Lignite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Rhyolite in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives and that of Lignite include For road aggregate, Steel production.

More about Rhyolite and Lignite

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Lignite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Lignite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Lignite includes . You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Lignite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors whereas, Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Lignite. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Lignite is 1. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. 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 Rhyolite is while that of Lignite is black. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is 0.71 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.Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Lignite is heat resistant.