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Tachylite and Sovite


Sovite and Tachylite


Definition

Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt  
Sovite is a coarse-grained variety of carbonatite which belongs to intrusive igneous rock  

History
  
  

Origin
Iceland  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting  
-  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
Plutonic  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Vitreous  
Granular, Poikiloblastic  

Color
Black, Dark Brown  
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Glassy  
Dull, Banded and Foilated  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers  
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, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories  

Medical Industry
-  
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)  

Types

Types
Volcanic glass  
Carbonatite  

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch  
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Tachylite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.  
Sovites are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine  
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite  

Compound Content
Fe, Mg  
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

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

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5.5  
3  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
Vermilion  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Resinous  
Subvitreous to Dull  

Compressive Strength
206.00 N/mm2  
11
195.00 N/mm2  
14

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.4  
2.86-2.87  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
3.058 g/cm3  
2.84-2.86 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.56 kJ/Kg K  
27
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea  
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan  

Africa
East Africa  
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden  
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  

Others
Hawaii Islands  
Greenland  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
-  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Victoria  
New South Wales, New Zealand  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Tachylite and Sovite Properties

Know all about Tachylite and Sovite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tachylite and Sovite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Tachylite is Vitreous whereas that of Sovite is Granular, Poikiloblastic. Tachylite appears Glassy and Sovite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated. The luster of Tachylite is resinous while that of Sovite is subvitreous to dull. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas Sovite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Tachylite are cemetery markers, creating artwork and that of Sovite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, creating artwork, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).

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