Amphibolite

Nepheline Syenite

Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite

Amphibolite

Nepheline Syenite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

Nepheline Syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock resembling syenite but containing nepheline and lacking quartz

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Alexandre Brongniart

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From Amphibole + -ite

From origin of a Palaeozoic nepheline syenite from northern Shanxi Province, China

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Granular

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Foliated

Banded and Foilated

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

4 Types

4.1 Types

Hornblendite

Borolanite and Litchfieldite

4.2 Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

Nepheline Syenites are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-75.5-6

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular to Conchoidal

Conchoidal to Uneven

6.1.4 Streak

White to Grey

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Greasy to Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

NA150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Irregular

Poor

6.1.9 Toughness

2.3

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.52.6

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.85-3.07 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NANA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Russia, Turkey

Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

Andorra, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

South Australia, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia

Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Amphibolite and Nepheline Syenite Reserves. Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase. Nepheline Syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock resembling syenite but containing nepheline and lacking quartz. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite information and Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Amphibolite and Properties of Nepheline Syenite. Learn more about Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite in the next section. The interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Nepheline Syenite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Amphibolite and Nepheline Syenite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Amphibolite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone and that of Nepheline Syenite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.

More about Amphibolite and Nepheline Syenite

Here you can know more about Amphibolite and Nepheline Syenite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Amphibolite and Nepheline Syenite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite and mineral content of Nepheline Syenite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors whereas, Nepheline Syenite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Amphibolite is Foliated and that of Nepheline Syenite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Amphibolite vs Nepheline Syenite. The hardness of Amphibolite is 6-7 and that of Nepheline Syenite is 5.5-6. The types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite whereas types of Nepheline Syenite are Borolanite and Litchfieldite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Amphibolite is white to grey while that of Nepheline Syenite is white. The specific heat capacity of Amphibolite is Not Available and that of Nepheline Syenite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Nepheline Syenite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.