Diabase

Nephelinite

Diabase and Nephelinite

Diabase

Nephelinite

Add ⊕

Definition

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).

History

Origin

Germany

Brazil

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Unknown

Etymology

From Greek di + base

from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Granular

Aphanitic

Color

Dark Grey to Black

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Vesicular

Skeletal

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Dolerite

Peralkaline Nephelinite

Features

Smooth to touch

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.

Nephelinite 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

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

76.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Flat

Streak

Black

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Metallic

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²35.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.6

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.4-2.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³2.5-3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India

Japan

Africa

South Africa, Tanzania

Rwanda, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Antarctica, Greenland

Hawaii Islands

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Diabase and Nephelinite Properties

Know all about Diabase and Nephelinite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Diabase and Nephelinite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular whereas that of Nephelinite is Aphanitic. Diabase appears Vesicular and Nephelinite appears Skeletal. The luster of Diabase is while that of Nephelinite is vitreous to metallic. Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors whereas Nephelinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones and that of Nephelinite are creating artwork, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).