Definition
Tephrite is an aphanitic to porphyritic textured, volcanic igneous rock
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth
Discoverer
Van Tooren
Georgius Agricola
Etymology
From Greek tephra, ashes from Indo-European base, to burn
From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Vesicular
Dull and Soft
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing, Whetstones
Construction Industry
Landscaping
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments
Commercial Uses
Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums
Types
Not Available
Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Formation
Tephrite 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.
Basalt forms when lava reaches the Earth's surface near an active volcano. The temperature of lava is between 1100 to 1250° C when it gets to the surface.
Mineral Content
Alkali feldspar, Nepheline, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Not Available
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Conchoidal
Streak
Bluish Black
White to Grey
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Not Available
Cleavage
Crenulation and Pervasive
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.86
2.8-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.9-3.1 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Not Yet Found
India, Russia
Africa
Namibia, Uganda
South Africa
Europe
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain
Iceland
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
Not Yet Found
Tephrite vs Basalt 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. Tephrite vs Basalt characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tephrite and Properties of Basalt. Learn more about Tephrite vs Basalt in the next section. The interior uses of Tephrite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Basalt include Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Tephrite and Basalt, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tephrite in construction industry include Landscaping and that of Basalt include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Cutting tool, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.
More about Tephrite and Basalt
Here you can know more about Tephrite and Basalt. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tephrite and Basalt consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tephrite includes Alkali feldspar, Nepheline, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Basalt includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Tephrite vs Basalt, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tephrite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, white colors whereas, Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Tephrite is Vesicular and that of Basalt is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tephrite vs Basalt. The hardness of Tephrite is 6.5 and that of Basalt is 6. The types of Tephrite are Not Available whereas types of Basalt are Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Tephrite is bluish black while that of Basalt is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Tephrite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Basalt is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Tephrite is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Basalt is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.