Syenite

Kimberlite

Syenite vs Kimberlite

Syenite

Kimberlite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Syenite is a coarse-grained igneous rock which is composed mainly of alkali feldspar and various ferromagnesian minerals

Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Kimberley, South Africa

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From French syénite, from Latin Syenites (lapis ) (stone) of Syene

From Kimberley +‎ -ite, from the name of the South African town of Kimberley where the rock was first found.

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

1.6 Other Categories

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

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Earthy

Porphyritic

2.2 Color

Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Banded and Foilated

Dull and Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

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

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

4 Types

4.1 Types

Shonkinite

Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites

4.2 Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Syenites are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.

Kimberlite is an igneous rock and is the main source of diamonds. Its formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface between 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

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

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

5.5-66-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fine to Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Very Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Subvitreous to Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²NA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Perfect

Conchoidal

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.86-2.87

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm³2.95-2.96 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Russia

7.1.2 Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Bulgaria, England, Germany, Norway, Romania, Switzerland

England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Antarctica

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

USA

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil, Chile

Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia

Syenite vs Kimberlite 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 Syenite and Kimberlite Reserves. Syenite is a coarse-grained igneous rock which is composed mainly of alkali feldspar and various ferromagnesian minerals. Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.. 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 Syenite vs Kimberlite information and Syenite vs Kimberlite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Syenite vs Kimberlite 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. Syenite vs Kimberlite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Syenite and Properties of Kimberlite. Learn more about Syenite vs Kimberlite in the next section. The interior uses of Syenite include Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Kimberlite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Syenite and Kimberlite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Syenite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Kimberlite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Syenite and Kimberlite

Here you can know more about Syenite and Kimberlite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Syenite and Kimberlite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Syenite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Kimberlite includes Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Syenite vs Kimberlite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Syenite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Kimberlite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Syenite is Banded and Foilated and that of Kimberlite is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Syenite vs Kimberlite. The hardness of Syenite is 5.5-6 and that of Kimberlite is 6-7. The types of Syenite are Shonkinite whereas types of Kimberlite are Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Syenite and Kimberlite is white. The specific heat capacity of Syenite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Kimberlite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Syenite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant whereas Kimberlite is heat resistant, impact resistant.