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Dolomite vs Nephelinite


Nephelinite vs Dolomite


Definition

Definition
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight  
Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).  

History
  
  

Origin
Southern Alps, France  
Brazil  

Discoverer
Dolomieu  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock  
from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Plutonic  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Earthy  
Aphanitic  

Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White  
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Glassy or Pearly  
Skeletal  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
-  
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, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)  
Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)  

Types

Types
Boninite and Jasperoid  
Peralkaline Nephelinite  

Features
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits  
Host Rock for Lead  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Present  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.  
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
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides  
Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase  

Compound Content
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO  
Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  
Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
6.5  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Flat  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Vitreous and Pearly  
Vitreous to Metallic  

Compressive Strength
140.00 N/mm2  
23
35.00 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
1  
2.7  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3  
2.4-2.9  

Transparency
Transparent to Translucent  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.5-3 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10
0.88 kJ/Kg K  
13

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India  
Japan  

Africa
Morocco, Namibia  
Rwanda, Tanzania  

Europe
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland  
-  

Others
-  
Hawaii Islands  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Mexico, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil, Colombia  
Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula  
-  

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Dolomite vs Nephelinite 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 Dolomite and Nephelinite Reserves. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).. 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 Dolomite vs Nephelinite information and Dolomite vs Nephelinite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Dolomite 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. Dolomite vs Nephelinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dolomite and Properties of Nephelinite. Learn more about Dolomite vs Nephelinite in the next section. The interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Nephelinite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Dolomite and Nephelinite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dolomite 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, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock and that of Nephelinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Dolomite and Nephelinite

Here you can know more about Dolomite and Nephelinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dolomite and Nephelinite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides and mineral content of Nephelinite includes Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Dolomite vs Nephelinite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dolomite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Nephelinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Nephelinite is Skeletal. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dolomite vs Nephelinite. The hardness of Dolomite is 3.5-4 and that of Nephelinite is 6.5. The types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid 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 Dolomite and Nephelinite is white. The specific heat capacity of Dolomite is 0.92 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.Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Nephelinite is heat resistant.

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