Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine
Origin
Iceland
Hawaii Islands
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vitreous
Earthy, Rough
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy
Rough and Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, 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
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Not Available
Oceanite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, NA
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
Picrite 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.
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
Vermilion
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Resinous
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Not Available
Imperfect
Toughness
Not Available
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.4
2.75-2.92
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm3
1.5-2.5 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
India, Russia
Africa
East Africa
South Africa
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Iceland
Others
Hawaii Islands
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
Not Yet Found
Tachylite vs Picrite 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 Picrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tachylite and Properties of Picrite. Learn more about Tachylite vs Picrite in the next section. The interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Picrite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tachylite and Picrite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tachylite in construction industry include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers and that of Picrite include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..
More about Tachylite and Picrite
Here you can know more about Tachylite and Picrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tachylite and Picrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine and mineral content of Picrite includes Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tachylite vs Picrite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas, Picrite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Tachylite is Glassy and that of Picrite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tachylite vs Picrite. The hardness of Tachylite is 5.5 and that of Picrite is 6.8. The types of Tachylite are Not Available whereas types of Picrite are Oceanite. 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 Picrite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Tachylite is 0.56 kJ/Kg K and that of Picrite is 0.88 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 Picrite is heat resistant.