Wehrlite

Pseudotachylite

Wehrlite and Pseudotachylite

Wehrlite

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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

Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.

History

Origin

Egypt

USA

Discoverer

Alois Wehrle

Unknown

Etymology

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

From pseudo- +‎ tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded

Quench

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Banded

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, 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

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Gemstone

Types

Ultramafic rock

Cataclastic rock

Features

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

Host Rock for Lead

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.

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Pyroxene

Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides

Compound Content

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

Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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

5.5-67

1 7

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Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Irregular

Uneven

Streak

White

Light to dark brown

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

100.00 N/mm²60.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

Specific Gravity

8.42.46-2.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Transparent to Translucent

Density

2.6-3.7 g/cm³2.7-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.63 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

South Korea

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Western Africa

Europe

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

Great Britain, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Wehrlite and Pseudotachylite Properties

Know all about Wehrlite and Pseudotachylite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Wehrlite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Pseudotachylite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Wehrlite is Banded whereas that of Pseudotachylite is Quench. Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded and Pseudotachylite appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Wehrlite is metallic while that of Pseudotachylite is vitreous. Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors whereas Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Wehrlite and Pseudotachylite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.