Definition
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals
  
Epidosite is a highly altered epidote and quartz bearing rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt
  
History
  
  
Origin
Tanzania
  
Unknown
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals
  
Not Available
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Igneous Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Plutonic
  
Volcanic
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Granular, Poikiloblastic
  
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
  
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
  
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
  
Maintenance
Less
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
No
  
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
  
Dull and Soft
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
  
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
  
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
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, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Unknown, Unknown
  
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
  
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux
  
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
  
Types
Not Available
  
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
  
Features
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
  
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Pictographs
Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Absent
  
Formation
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.
  
Epidosite 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
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
  
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
  
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide
  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Not Applicable
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
3
  
6
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fine to Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
White
  
White to Grey
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
  
Not Available
  
Cleavage
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Toughness
1
  
2.3
  
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
  
2.8-3
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.84-2.86 g/cm3
  
Not Available
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
  
India, Russia
  
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
  
South Africa
  
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
  
Iceland
  
Others
Greenland
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, USA
  
Canada, USA
  
South America
Brazil
  
Brazil
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
  
Not Yet Found
  
All about Carbonatite and Epidosite Properties
Know all about Carbonatite and Epidosite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Carbonatite and Epidosite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Carbonatite is Granular, Poikiloblastic whereas that of Epidosite is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular. Carbonatite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Epidosite appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Carbonatite is subvitreous to dull while that of Epidosite is not available. Carbonatite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Epidosite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Carbonatite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux and that of Epidosite are commemorative tablets, creating artwork.