Definition
Pantellerite is a peralkaline rhyolite. It has a higher iron and lower aluminium composition than comendite
Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance
History
Origin
Strait of sicily
France
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Pantelleria, a volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily
From Latin varius, speckled, variegated
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock
Texture
Eutaxitic
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Color
Dark Greenish - Grey
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Layered and Foliated
Dull and Soft
Architecture
Interior Uses
-
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
-
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
-
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Pantelleritic Ignimbrite
Metamorphic rock
Features
High Fe content
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
Formation
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.
Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks that exhibit pale colored spots on weathered surfaces that give them a pockmarked appearance.
Composition
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Feldspar, Ilmenite
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Al, Fe
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
6-76
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
-
Fracture
Sub-conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
-
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Earthy
-
Compressive Strength
210.00 N/mm237.50 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Conchoidal
-
Toughness
2
2.3
Specific Gravity
-99992.8-3
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
-9999 g/cm32.9-3.1 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India
India, Russia
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria
South Africa
Europe
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Iceland
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Queensland, Western Australia
-