Wehrlite

Skarn

Wehrlite and Skarn

Wehrlite

Skarn

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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

Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin

History

Origin

Egypt

USA, Australia

Discoverer

Alois Wehrle

Tornebohm

Etymology

From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle

From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.

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

Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough

Color

Dark Greenish - Grey, Green

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Banded

Dull

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

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, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Ultramafic rock

Endoskarns

Features

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

Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits

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. Skarn is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Pyroxene

Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite

Compound Content

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

Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5.5-66.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Light to dark brown

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Metallic

Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

100.00 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Slaty

Toughness

2.1

2.4

Specific Gravity

8.42.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.6-3.7 g/cm³2.8-2.9 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

China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka

Africa

Morocco, South Africa

South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

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

United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada

South America

Brazil

Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Western Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Wehrlite and Skarn Properties

Know all about Wehrlite and Skarn properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Wehrlite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Skarn belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Wehrlite is Banded whereas that of Skarn is Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough. Wehrlite appears Rough and Banded and Skarn appears Dull. The luster of Wehrlite is metallic while that of Skarn is waxy and dull. Wehrlite is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors whereas Skarn is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Wehrlite are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Skarn are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, metallurgical flux, source of magnesia (mgo).