Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vitreous
Aphanitic
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy
Skeletal
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Not Available
Peralkaline Nephelinite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, NA
Host Rock for Lead
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
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
Formation
Tachylite 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.
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.
Mineral Content
Feldspar, Olivine
Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Resinous
Vitreous to Metallic
Cleavage
Not Available
Imperfect
Toughness
Not Available
2.7
Specific Gravity
2.4
2.4-2.9
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm3
2.5-3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Japan
Africa
East Africa
Rwanda, Tanzania
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Not Yet Found
Others
Hawaii Islands
Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
Not Yet Found
Tachylite 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. Tachylite vs Nephelinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tachylite and Properties of Nephelinite. Learn more about Tachylite vs Nephelinite in the next section. The interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Nephelinite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Tachylite and Nephelinite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tachylite in construction industry include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers and that of Nephelinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Tachylite and Nephelinite
Here you can know more about Tachylite and Nephelinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tachylite and Nephelinite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine 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 Tachylite vs Nephelinite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors whereas, Nephelinite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Tachylite is Glassy and that of Nephelinite is Skeletal. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tachylite vs Nephelinite. The hardness of Tachylite is 5.5 and that of Nephelinite is 6.5. The types of Tachylite are Not Available 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 Tachylite is vermilion while that of Nephelinite is white. The specific heat capacity of Tachylite is 0.56 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.Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant whereas Nephelinite is heat resistant.