Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
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
Amorphous, Glassy
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
-
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
-
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
-
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Electricity Generation
Types
Volcanic glass
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Archaeological Significance
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.
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.
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
-
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Resinous
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Specific Gravity
2.4
1.1-1.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm3
800-801 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
East Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
-
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Tachylite 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. Tachylite vs Lignite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tachylite and Properties of Lignite. Learn more about Tachylite vs Lignite in the next section. The interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Lignite include . Due to some exceptional properties of Tachylite and Lignite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tachylite in construction industry include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers and that of Lignite include For road aggregate, Steel production.
More about Tachylite and Lignite
Here you can know more about Tachylite and Lignite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tachylite and Lignite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine and mineral content of Lignite includes . You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tachylite vs Lignite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas, Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Tachylite is Glassy and that of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tachylite vs Lignite. The hardness of Tachylite is 5.5 and that of Lignite is 1. The types of Tachylite are Volcanic glass 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 Tachylite is vermilion while that of Lignite is black. The specific heat capacity of Tachylite is 0.56 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.Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant whereas Lignite is heat resistant.