Definition
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals
Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase
Discoverer
Unknown
Alexandre Brongniart
Etymology
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals
From Amphibole + -ite
Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Plutonic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granular, Poikiloblastic
Banded, Foliated, Massive
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Green, Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Foliated
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
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, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Not Available
Hornblendite
Features
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny
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
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
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.
Mineral Content
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite
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
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Irregular to Conchoidal
Streak
White
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Vitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Not Available
Irregular
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.5
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.84-2.86 g/cm3
2.85-3.07 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Russia, Turkey
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland
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
South Australia, Western Australia
Carbonatite vs Amphibolite 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. Carbonatite vs Amphibolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Carbonatite and Properties of Amphibolite. Learn more about Carbonatite vs Amphibolite in the next section. The interior uses of Carbonatite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Amphibolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Carbonatite and Amphibolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Carbonatite in construction industry include 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 and that of Amphibolite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Production of glass and ceramics, Roadstone.
More about Carbonatite and Amphibolite
Here you can know more about Carbonatite and Amphibolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Carbonatite and Amphibolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Carbonatite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite and mineral content of Amphibolite includes Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Carbonatite vs Amphibolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Carbonatite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors. Appearance of Carbonatite is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Amphibolite is Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Carbonatite vs Amphibolite. The hardness of Carbonatite is 3 and that of Amphibolite is 6-7. The types of Carbonatite are Not Available whereas types of Amphibolite are Hornblendite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Carbonatite is white while that of Amphibolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Carbonatite is Not Available and that of Amphibolite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Carbonatite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant whereas Amphibolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.