Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
History
Origin
Iceland
Discoverer
Unknown
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vitreous
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Maintenance
More
Durability
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
81% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
86% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
66% - Igneous Rocks Rocks
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
49% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
48% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Appearance
Glassy
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
Medical Industry
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Volcanic glass
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
Famous Monuments
-
Sculpture
-
Famous Sculptures
-
Pictographs
-
Petroglyphs
-
Figurines
-
Fossils
Absent
Formation
Tachylite 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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
97% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
99% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
92% - Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
5.5
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Streak
Vermilion
Porosity
Less Porous
Luster
Resinous
Compressive Strength
206.00 N/mm2
Rank: 11 (Overall)
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Toughness
-
Specific Gravity
2.4
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.56 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 27 (Overall)
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Africa
East Africa
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Others
Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
South America
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria