Definition
Wehrlite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is a mixture of olivine and clinopyroxene. It is a subdivision of the peridotites
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age
History
Origin
Egypt
Western Australia, Minnesota
Discoverer
Alois Wehrle
Johann Gottlob Lehmann
Etymology
From the name of a professor, Alois Wehrle
From its formation process
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
-
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Banded
Banded, Trellis
Color
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green
Red, Reddish Brown
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Rough and Banded
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Paving Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing, Whetstones
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones
As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Ultramafic rock
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite
Features
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Present
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.
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.
Composition
Mineral Content
Pyroxene
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Fe, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
5.5-65.5-6
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Large and Coarse Grained
Fracture
Irregular
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal
Streak
White
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Metallic
Earthy
Compressive Strength
100.00 N/mm2220.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Perfect
-
Toughness
2.1
1.5
Specific Gravity
8.45.0-5.3
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.6-3.7 g/cm3-9999 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.63 kJ/Kg K3.20 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Africa
Morocco, South Africa
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Others
-
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Brazil
Bolivia, Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia