Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
A water-soluble mineral sediment resulting from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution
History
Origin
Iceland
USA
Discoverer
Unknown
Usiglio
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
From a sediment left after the evaporation
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
-
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
Vitreous
Earthy
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Green, Grey, Silver, White
Maintenance
More
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Glassy
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
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
Used in the manufacture of Ceramic Powder, Used in the preparation of Sulfuric Acid and Silicon Diborite
Types
Volcanic glass
Sedimentary rock
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Generally rough to touch, Splintery, Veined
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Present
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.
Evaporite is water-soluble mineral sediment which forms from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution.
Composition
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
Calcite, Cancrinite, Gypsum, Kyanite, Magnetite
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
CaMg(CO3)2, CaO, Calcium Sulfate, KCl, MgO, NaCl
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact 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
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
5.52-3
1
7
👆🏻
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/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Perfect
Toughness
-
-
Specific Gravity
2.42.86-2.99
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
3.058 g/cm32.8-2.9 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.56 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
-
Africa
East Africa
-
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
United Kingdom
Others
Hawaii Islands
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
USA
South America
-
Colombia, Paraguay
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
Central Australia, Western Australia