Definition
A yellow sandstone which is flexible when cut into thin strips
Tephrite is an aphanitic to porphyritic textured, volcanic igneous rock
Discoverer
Unknown
Van Tooren
Etymology
From the name of a mountain range where it was found; Itacolumi mountain in Brazil
From Greek tephra, ashes from Indo-European base, to burn
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Granular, Rough
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Rough
Vesicular
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Landscaping
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones
Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Formation
Itacolumite is a sedimentary rock which forms from cemented sand-sized clasts and is a type of sandstone.
Tephrite 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.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz
Alkali feldspar, Nepheline, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse or Fine
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
White
Bluish Black
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
Perfect
Crenulation and Pervasive
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.2-2.8 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan
Not Yet Found
Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Namibia, Uganda
Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain
Others
Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
New Zealand, Western Australia
Itacolumite vs Tephrite 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. Itacolumite vs Tephrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Itacolumite and Properties of Tephrite. Learn more about Itacolumite vs Tephrite in the next section. The interior uses of Itacolumite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Tephrite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Itacolumite and Tephrite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Itacolumite in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Tephrite include Landscaping.
More about Itacolumite and Tephrite
Here you can know more about Itacolumite and Tephrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Itacolumite and Tephrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Itacolumite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Tephrite includes Alkali feldspar, Nepheline, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Itacolumite vs Tephrite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Itacolumite is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Tephrite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Itacolumite is Rough and that of Tephrite is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Itacolumite vs Tephrite. The hardness of Itacolumite is 6-7 and that of Tephrite is 6.5. The types of Itacolumite are Not Available whereas types of Tephrite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Itacolumite is white while that of Tephrite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Itacolumite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Tephrite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Itacolumite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Tephrite is heat resistant, impact resistant.