Nephelinite

Diabase

Nephelinite and Diabase

Nephelinite

Diabase

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Definition

Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).

Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar

History

Origin

Brazil

Germany

Discoverer

Unknown

Christian Leopold von Buch

Etymology

from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē

From Greek di + base

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic

Aphanitic, Granular

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Dark Grey to Black

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Skeletal

Vesicular

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Types

Peralkaline Nephelinite

Dolerite

Features

Host Rock for Lead

Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Nephelinite 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.

Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.

Composition

Mineral Content

Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase

Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.57

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Flat

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Metallic

Compressive Strength

35.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.7

1.6

Specific Gravity

2.4-2.92.86-2.87

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.5-3 g/cm³2.7-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Japan

India

Africa

Rwanda, Tanzania

South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Hawaii Islands

Antarctica, Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Colombia

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

All about Nephelinite and Diabase Properties

Know all about Nephelinite and Diabase properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Nephelinite and Diabase belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Nephelinite is Aphanitic whereas that of Diabase is Aphanitic, Granular. Nephelinite appears Skeletal and Diabase appears Vesicular. The luster of Nephelinite is vitreous to metallic while that of Diabase is . Nephelinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors whereas Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. The commercial uses of Nephelinite are creating artwork, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo) and that of Diabase are an oil and gas reservoir, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.