Wehrlite

Peridotite

Wehrlite and Peridotite

Wehrlite

Peridotite

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Definition

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

Peridotite is a dense, coarse-grained plutonic is the main constituent of the earth's mantle

History

Origin

Egypt

Pike County, U.S

Discoverer

Alois Wehrle

Unknown

Etymology

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

From French, from peridot +‎ -ite

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded

Phaneritic

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Banded

Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Types

Ultramafic rock

Dunite, Wehrlite, Harzburgite, Lherzolite and Pyrolite

Features

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

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

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.

Peridotites can be formed in two ways: as mantle rocks formed during the accretion and differentiation of the Earth or as cumulate rocks formed by precipitation of olivine and pyroxenes from basaltic magmas.

Composition

Mineral Content

Pyroxene

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

Ca, Fe, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal 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

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5.5-65.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Shiny

Compressive Strength

100.00 N/mm²107.55 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

8.43-3.01

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.6-3.7 g/cm³3.1-3.4 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.63 kJ/Kg K1.26 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

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

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

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 Wehrlite and Peridotite Properties

Know all about Wehrlite and Peridotite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Wehrlite and Peridotite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Wehrlite is Banded whereas that of Peridotite is Phaneritic. Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded and Peridotite appears Rough and Shiny. The luster of Wehrlite is metallic while that of Peridotite is shiny. Wehrlite and Peridotite are available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. The commercial uses of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Peridotite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds.