Skarn

Amphibolite

Skarn and Amphibolite

Skarn

Amphibolite

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Definition

Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

History

Origin

USA, Australia

Discoverer

Tornebohm

Alexandre Brongniart

Etymology

From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.

From Amphibole + -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Foliated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Endoskarns

Hornblendite

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Skarn is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

Compound Content

Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.56-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Irregular to Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Waxy and Dull

Vitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

70.00 N/mm²90.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.4

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.862.5

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.85-3.07 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka

Russia, Turkey

Africa

South Africa, Western Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Europe

United Kingdom

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

South Australia, Western Australia

All about Skarn and Amphibolite Properties

Know all about Skarn and Amphibolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Skarn and Amphibolite belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Skarn is Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough whereas that of Amphibolite is Banded, Foliated, Massive. Skarn appears Dull and Amphibolite appears Foliated. The luster of Skarn is waxy and dull while that of Amphibolite is vitreous to dull. Skarn and Amphibolite are available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Skarn are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, metallurgical flux, source of magnesia (mgo) and that of Amphibolite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork.