Travertine

Pyroxenite

Travertine and Pyroxenite

Travertine

Pyroxenite

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Definition

Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters

Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine

History

Origin

Italy

Discoverer

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Unknown

Etymology

From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy

From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow

Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Fibrous

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Thermal Travertine and Tufa

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Features

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.

Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-47

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Uneven

Streak

White

White, Greenish White or Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

80.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

1.683.2-3.5

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.71 g/cm³3.1-3.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.09 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Russia

India, Russia

Africa

South Africa

Europe

Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Travertine and Pyroxenite Properties

Know all about Travertine and Pyroxenite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Travertine belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Pyroxenite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Travertine is Banded whereas that of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic. Travertine appears Fibrous and Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Travertine is dull to pearly while that of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors whereas Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Travertine are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, paper industry, pottery and that of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.