Definition
Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).
Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock which forms from rounded gravel and boulder sized clasts which are cemented together in a matrix
History
Origin
Brazil
Italy
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē
From Latin conglomeratus, to roll together, i.e. from com together + glomerare to gather into a ball, from glomus (genitive glomeris) a ball
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic
Clastic
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Beige, Black, Brown, Buff, Light to Dark Grey, Orange, Rust, White, Yellow
Maintenance
Less
More
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Skeletal
Shiny and Rounded
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Roof Tiles
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Cemetery Markers, In aquifers, Tombstones
Types
Peralkaline Nephelinite
Orthoconglomerate and Paraconglomerate
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Present
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.
Conglomerate forms where sediments consisting mainly of pebble and cobble-size clasts at least two millimeters in diameter starts accumulating.
Composition
Mineral Content
Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase
Clay, Sand, Silica, Silt
Compound Content
Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO
NaCl, CaO
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
6.52-3
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Flat
Uneven
Streak
White
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Metallic
Dull
Compressive Strength
35.00 N/mm270.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
2.7
-
Specific Gravity
2.4-2.92.86-2.88
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.5-3 g/cm31.7-2.3 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant
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