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Nephelinite
Nephelinite

Carbonatite
Carbonatite



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Nephelinite
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Carbonatite

Nephelinite vs Carbonatite

Definition

Definition

Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals

History

Origin

Brazil
Tanzania

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Aphanitic
Granular, Poikiloblastic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Skeletal
Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

-
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux

Types

Types

Peralkaline Nephelinite
Carbonatite

Features

Host Rock for Lead
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.53
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Flat
Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Metallic
Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

35.00 N/mm275.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

2.7
1

Specific Gravity

2.4-2.92.86-2.87
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.5-3 g/cm32.84-2.86 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.51 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Japan
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Africa

Rwanda, Tanzania
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

-
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Hawaii Islands
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA
Canada, USA

South America

Colombia
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
New South Wales, New Zealand

Nephelinite vs Carbonatite 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 Nephelinite and Carbonatite Reserves. Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).. Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals. 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 Nephelinite vs Carbonatite information and Nephelinite vs Carbonatite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Nephelinite vs Carbonatite 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. Nephelinite vs Carbonatite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Nephelinite and Properties of Carbonatite. Learn more about Nephelinite vs Carbonatite in the next section. The interior uses of Nephelinite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Carbonatite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Nephelinite and Carbonatite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Nephelinite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Carbonatite include 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.

More about Nephelinite and Carbonatite

Here you can know more about Nephelinite and Carbonatite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Nephelinite and Carbonatite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Nephelinite includes Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase and mineral content of Carbonatite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Nephelinite vs Carbonatite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Nephelinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors whereas, Carbonatite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Nephelinite is Skeletal and that of Carbonatite is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Nephelinite vs Carbonatite. The hardness of Nephelinite is 6.5 and that of Carbonatite is 3. The types of Nephelinite are Peralkaline Nephelinite whereas types of Carbonatite are Carbonatite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Nephelinite and Carbonatite is white. The specific heat capacity of Nephelinite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Carbonatite is 0.51 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Nephelinite is heat resistant whereas Carbonatite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.