Basalt vs Nephelinite 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. Basalt vs Nephelinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Basalt and Properties of Nephelinite. Learn more about Basalt vs Nephelinite in the next section. The interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Nephelinite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Basalt and Nephelinite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Basalt in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Nephelinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Basalt and Nephelinite
Here you can know more about Basalt and Nephelinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Basalt and Nephelinite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Nephelinite includes Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Basalt vs Nephelinite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Nephelinite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Basalt is Dull and Soft and that of Nephelinite is Skeletal. Properties of rock is another aspect for Basalt vs Nephelinite. The hardness of Basalt is 6 and that of Nephelinite is 6.5. The types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite whereas types of Nephelinite are Peralkaline Nephelinite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Basalt is white to grey while that of Nephelinite is white. The specific heat capacity of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Nephelinite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Nephelinite is heat resistant.