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
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
Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Grey, Pink, White
Colourless, Green, Grey, Silver, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated
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
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
Not Yet Used
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts
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
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Generally rough to touch, Splintery, Veined
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Figurines
Used
Not Yet Used
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.
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
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Not Applicable
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Not Applicable
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Dull
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Not Available
Perfect
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.73
2.86-2.99
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
1-1.8 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
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
Not Available
Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Not Available
Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Not Yet Found
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