Definition
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica
Minette is a variety of Lamprophyre and is porphyritic alkaline igneous rock which is mainly dominated by biotite and potassic feldspar
Origin
North America
Unknown
Discoverer
Ferdinand von Richthofen
Unknown
Etymology
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone
From French mine ore, mine + ette
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic
Porphyritic
Color
Grey, White, Light Black
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Banded
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.
Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite
Features
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
Formation
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.
Minette formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface at around 150 to 450 kms, and are erupted rapidly and violently.
Mineral Content
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz
Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Large and Coarse Grained
Fine to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Sub-conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Earthy
Subvitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Conchoidal
Toughness
2
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.65-2.67
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.4-2.6 g/cm3
2.95-2.96 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa
Europe
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain
England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Antarctica, Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Rhyolite vs Minette 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. Rhyolite vs Minette characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Minette. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Minette in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Minette include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Minette, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Rhyolite in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives and that of Minette include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.
More about Rhyolite and Minette
Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Minette. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Minette consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Minette includes Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Minette, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors whereas, Minette is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Minette is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Minette. The hardness of Rhyolite is 6-7 and that of Minette is 5-6. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Minette are Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Rhyolite is colorless while that of Minette is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is Not Available and that of Minette is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Minette is heat resistant, impact resistant.
