×

Pyroxenite
Pyroxenite

Nephelinite
Nephelinite



ADD
Compare
X
Pyroxenite
X
Nephelinite

Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite

Definition

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
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
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

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
Less

Durability

Durable
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
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

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
Absent

Formation

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
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
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
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
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland
-

Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite 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 Pyroxenite and Nephelinite Reserves. 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).. 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 Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite information and Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite 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. Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pyroxenite and Properties of Nephelinite. Learn more about Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite in the next section. The interior uses of Pyroxenite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Nephelinite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Pyroxenite and Nephelinite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pyroxenite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Nephelinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Pyroxenite and Nephelinite

Here you can know more about Pyroxenite and Nephelinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pyroxenite and Nephelinite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pyroxenite includes Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene and mineral content of Nephelinite includes Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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. Appearance of Pyroxenite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Nephelinite is Skeletal. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pyroxenite vs Nephelinite. The hardness of Pyroxenite is 7 and that of Nephelinite is 6.5. The types of Pyroxenite are Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites whereas types of Nephelinite are Peralkaline Nephelinite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Pyroxenite and Nephelinite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Pyroxenite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Nephelinite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Pyroxenite is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Nephelinite is heat resistant.