Home
Compare Rocks


Nephelinite vs Diorite


Diorite vs Nephelinite


Definition

Definition
Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).  
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene  

History
  
  

Origin
Brazil  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē  
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic  
Plutonic  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Aphanitic  
Phaneritic  

Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White  
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Skeletal  
Shiny  

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 Building 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 Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

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)  
Creating Artwork, Curling  

Types

Types
Peralkaline Nephelinite  
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite  

Features
Host Rock for Lead  
Typically speckled black and white.  

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.  
Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase  
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon  

Compound Content
Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO  
Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism  
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6.5  
6-7  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Medium to Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Flat  
-  

Streak
White  
Bluish Black  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Vitreous to Metallic  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
35.00 N/mm2  
99+
225.00 N/mm2  
8

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
2.7  
2.1  

Specific Gravity
2.4-2.9  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.5-3 g/cm3  
2.8-3 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K  
13
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Heat Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Japan  
-  

Africa
Rwanda, Tanzania  
Egypt  

Europe
-  
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom  

Others
Hawaii Islands  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
USA  

South America
Colombia  
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
New Zealand, Western Australia  

Definition >>
<< All

Nephelinite vs Diorite 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 Diorite Reserves. Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Diorite information and Nephelinite vs Diorite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks

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

More about Nephelinite and Diorite

Here you can know more about Nephelinite and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Nephelinite and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Nephelinite includes Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase and mineral content of Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Nephelinite vs Diorite, 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, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Nephelinite is Skeletal and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Nephelinite vs Diorite. The hardness of Nephelinite is 6.5 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Nephelinite are Peralkaline Nephelinite whereas types of Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Nephelinite is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Nephelinite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite is 0.84 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 Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks