Limestone

Nepheline Syenite

Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite

Limestone

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Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate

Nepheline Syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock resembling syenite but containing nepheline and lacking quartz

History

Origin

New Zealand

Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet

Unknown

Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century

From origin of a Palaeozoic nepheline syenite from northern Shanxi Province, China

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Granular

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow

Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Banded

Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Countertops, 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, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics

Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa

Borolanite and Litchfieldite

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.

Nepheline Syenites are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt

Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-45.5-6

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Conchoidal to Uneven

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly

Greasy to Dull

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

Specific Gravity

2.3-2.72.6

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam

Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

United Kingdom

Andorra, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Colombia

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia

Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite 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 Limestone and Nepheline Syenite Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Nepheline Syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock resembling syenite but containing nepheline and lacking quartz. 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 Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite information and Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite 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. Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Nepheline Syenite. Learn more about Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Nepheline Syenite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Nepheline Syenite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Limestone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium and that of Nepheline Syenite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.

More about Limestone and Nepheline Syenite

Here you can know more about Limestone and Nepheline Syenite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Nepheline Syenite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Nepheline Syenite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Nepheline Syenite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Nepheline Syenite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Nepheline Syenite. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Nepheline Syenite is 5.5-6. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Nepheline Syenite are Borolanite and Litchfieldite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone and Nepheline Syenite is white. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Nepheline Syenite is 0.71 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Nepheline Syenite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.