Definition
Minette is a variety of Lamprophyre and is porphyritic alkaline igneous rock which is mainly dominated by biotite and potassic feldspar
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.
History
Origin
-
USA
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French mine ore, mine + ette
From pseudo- + tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.
Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
-
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Porphyritic
Quench
Color
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Dull and Soft
Architecture
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments
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, Gemstone
Types
Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite
Cataclastic rock
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
Formation
Minette formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface at around 150 to 450 kms, and are erupted rapidly and violently.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
Composition
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene
Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
5-67
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
White
Light to dark brown
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Vitreous
Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm260.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Conchoidal
-
Toughness
-
-
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.872.46-2.86
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Transparent to Translucent
Density
2.95-2.96 g/cm32.7-2.9 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.79 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Russia
South Korea
Africa
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa
Western Africa
Europe
England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom
Great Britain, Switzerland
Others
Antarctica, Greenland
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
-
South America
Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia