Home
Compare Rocks


Wehrlite and Dolomite


Dolomite and Wehrlite


Definition

Definition
Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites  
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight  

History
  
  

Origin
Egypt  
Southern Alps, France  

Discoverer
Alois Wehrle  
Dolomieu  

Etymology
From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle  
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic  
Not Applicable  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Banded  
Earthy  

Color
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green  
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Rough and Banded  
Glassy or Pearly  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Not Yet Used  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones  
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, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock  

Medical Industry
NA  
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)  

Types

Types
Not Available  
Boninite and Jasperoid  

Features
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used  
Used  

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available  
Data Not Available  

Sculpture
Used  
Used  

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available  
Data Not Available  

Pictographs
Used  
Used  

Petroglyphs
Used  
Used  

Figurines
Used  
Used  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

Formation
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.  
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Pyroxene  
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides  

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
No  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Not Applicable  

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  
Not Applicable  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5.5-6  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
Coarse Grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Irregular  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Metallic  
Vitreous and Pearly  

Compressive Strength
Not Available  
140.00 N/mm2  
15

Cleavage
Perfect  
Perfect  

Toughness
2.1  
1  

Specific Gravity
8.4  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Transparent to Translucent  

Density
2.6-3.7 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.63 kJ/Kg K  
21
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Morocco, South Africa  
Morocco, Namibia  

Europe
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela  
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Mexico, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Brazil, Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia  
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Wehrlite and Dolomite Properties

Know all about Wehrlite and Dolomite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Wehrlite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Dolomite belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Wehrlite is Banded whereas that of Dolomite is Earthy. Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded and Dolomite appears Glassy or Pearly. The luster of Wehrlite is metallic while that of Dolomite is vitreous and pearly. Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors whereas Dolomite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Dolomite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).

Compare Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks