Definition
Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.
History
Origin
Brazil
USA
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē
From pseudo- + tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.
Class
Igneous Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Plutonic
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic
Quench
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 and Soft
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, 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, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Creating Artwork, Gemstone
Types
Peralkaline Nephelinite
Cataclastic rock
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Host Rock for Lead
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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
Composition
Mineral Content
Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase
Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides
Compound Content
Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO
Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
6.57
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Flat
Uneven
Streak
White
Light to dark brown
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Metallic
Vitreous
Compressive Strength
35.00 N/mm260.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
2.7
-
Specific Gravity
2.4-2.92.46-2.86
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Transparent to Translucent
Density
2.5-3 g/cm32.7-2.9 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
South Korea
Africa
Rwanda, Tanzania
Western Africa
Europe
-
Great Britain, Switzerland
Others
Hawaii Islands
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
-
South America
Colombia
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
Central Australia, Western Australia