Pyroxenite

Nephelinite

Pyroxenite and Nephelinite

Pyroxenite

Nephelinite

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Definition

Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine

Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).

History

Origin

Brazil

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks

from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic

Aphanitic

Color

Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Skeletal

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites

Peralkaline Nephelinite

Features

Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene

Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

76.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Flat

Streak

White, Greenish White or Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Vitreous to Metallic

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²35.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

2.7

Specific Gravity

3.2-3.52.4-2.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

3.1-3.6 g/cm³2.5-3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Japan

Africa

South Africa

Rwanda, Tanzania

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

Others

Greenland

Hawaii Islands

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

All about Pyroxenite and Nephelinite Properties

Know all about Pyroxenite and Nephelinite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Pyroxenite and Nephelinite belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic whereas that of Nephelinite is Aphanitic. Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Nephelinite appears Skeletal. The luster of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Nephelinite is vitreous to metallic. Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors whereas Nephelinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones and that of Nephelinite are creating artwork, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).