Variolite

Wehrlite

Variolite and Wehrlite

Variolite

Wehrlite

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Definition

Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance

Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites

History

Origin

France

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Alois Wehrle

Etymology

From Latin varius, speckled, variegated

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Banded

Color

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Soft

Rough and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Metamorphic rock

Ultramafic rock

Features

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks that exhibit pale colored spots on weathered surfaces that give them a pockmarked appearance.

Wehrlite 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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Pyroxene

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

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, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

65.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Compressive Strength

37.50 N/mm²100.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.3

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.8-38.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.9-3.1 g/cm³2.6-3.7 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.63 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

South Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Iceland

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

All about Variolite and Wehrlite Properties

Know all about Variolite and Wehrlite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Variolite and Wehrlite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Variolite is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular whereas that of Wehrlite is Banded. Variolite appears Dull and Soft and Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded. The luster of Variolite is while that of Wehrlite is metallic. Variolite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. The commercial uses of Variolite are cemetery markers, creating artwork and that of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.