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Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite


Nepheline Syenite vs Soapstone


Definition

Definition
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc   
Nepheline Syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock resembling syenite but containing nepheline and lacking quartz   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap   
From origin of a Palaeozoic nepheline syenite from northern Shanxi Province, China   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Polished   
Granular   

Color
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey   
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated   
Banded and Foilated   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics   

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)   
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Borolanite and Litchfieldite   

Features
Host Rock for Lead   
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.   
Nepheline Syenites are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite   

Compound Content
CaO, Mg, MgO   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Chemical Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal to Uneven   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Greasy   
Greasy to Dull   

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2   
7
150.00 N/mm2   
14

Cleavage
Perfect   
Poor   

Toughness
1   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.86   
2.6   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   
2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K   
13
Not Available   

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand   
Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam   

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa   
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Andorra, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Colombia   
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland   
New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia   

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Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite 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 Soapstone and Nepheline Syenite Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Nepheline Syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock resembling syenite but containing nepheline and lacking quartz. 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 Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite information and Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite 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. Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Soapstone and Properties of Nepheline Syenite. Learn more about Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite in the next section. The interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Nepheline Syenite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Soapstone and Nepheline Syenite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Soapstone in construction industry include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Nepheline Syenite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.

More about Soapstone and Nepheline Syenite

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Nepheline Syenite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Nepheline Syenite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Nepheline Syenite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas, Nepheline Syenite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Nepheline Syenite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Nepheline Syenite. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Nepheline Syenite is 5.5-6. The types of Soapstone are Not Available whereas types of Nepheline Syenite are Borolanite and Litchfieldite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Soapstone is black while that of Nepheline Syenite is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Nepheline Syenite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant whereas Nepheline Syenite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.

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