Definition
Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows
A water-soluble mineral sediment resulting from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution
History
Origin
New Zealand
USA
Discoverer
Patrick Marshall
Usiglio
Etymology
From Latin ignis fire + imber, imbr- shower of rain, storm cloud + -ite
From a sediment left after the evaporation
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic
Earthy
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Grey, Pink, White
Green, Grey, Silver, White
Maintenance
More
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
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
Medical Industry
-
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Used in the manufacture of Ceramic Powder, Used in the preparation of Sulfuric Acid and Silicon Diborite
Types
Pyroclastic rock
Sedimentary rock
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Generally rough to touch, Splintery, Veined
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Present
Formation
Ignimbrites are formed from very poorly sorted mixture of volcanic ash or tuff and pumice lapilli, commonly with scattered lithic fragments.
Evaporite is water-soluble mineral sediment which forms from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution.
Composition
Mineral Content
Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz
Calcite, Cancrinite, Gypsum, Kyanite, Magnetite
Compound Content
Ca, NaCl
CaMg(CO3)2, CaO, Calcium Sulfate, KCl, MgO, NaCl
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
4-62-3
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Conchoidal
Streak
White
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Dull
Subvitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
243.80 N/mm2225.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Perfect
Toughness
-
-
Specific Gravity
2.732.86-2.99
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
1-1.8 g/cm32.8-2.9 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.20 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
-
Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
-
Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador
Colombia, Paraguay
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia