Definition
Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).
Pantellerite is a peralkaline rhyolite. It has a higher iron and lower aluminium composition than comendite
History
Origin
Brazil
Strait of sicily
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē
From Pantelleria, a volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic
Eutaxitic
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Dark Greenish - Grey
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Skeletal
Layered and Foliated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
-
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
-
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
-
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Creating Artwork
Types
Peralkaline Nephelinite
Pantelleritic Ignimbrite
Features
Host Rock for Lead
High Fe content
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
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.
Pantellerite 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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase
Amphibole, Feldspar, Ilmenite
Compound Content
Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO
Al, Fe
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic 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, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
6.56-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Flat
Sub-conchoidal
Streak
White
-
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Metallic
Earthy
Compressive Strength
35.00 N/mm2210.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Conchoidal
Toughness
2.7
2
Specific Gravity
2.4-2.9-9999
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.5-3 g/cm3-9999 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
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan
China, India
Africa
Rwanda, Tanzania
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria
Europe
-
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Hawaii Islands
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Colombia
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
Central Australia, Queensland, Western Australia