Home
Compare Rocks


Variolite vs Essexite 


Essexite  vs Variolite


Definition

Definition
Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance   
Essexite which is also known as nepheline monzogabbro, is a dark gray or black holocrystalline plutonic Iigneous Rock   

History
  
  

Origin
France   
USA   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Latin varius, speckled, variegated   
From the locality in Essex County, Massachusetts,US   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic   
Plutonic   

Other Categories
Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular   
Granular   

Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey   
Dark Grey to Black   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Dull and Soft   
Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   
Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks that exhibit pale colored spots on weathered surfaces that give them a pockmarked appearance.   
Essexite is a type of igneous rock, which is usually dark grey to black plutonic rock. For the formation of essexite, suitable magma with exact composition of K, Ba, Rb, Cs, Sr should be produced.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   
Augite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Nepheline, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   
Aluminium Oxide, Ba, Ca, Cs, Potassium, Rb, Sodium, Sr   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

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

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6   
7   

Grain Size
Not Applicable   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White to Grey   
Black   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Not Available   
Not Available   

Compressive Strength
37.50 N/mm2   
27
Not Available   

Cleavage
Not Available   
Not Available   

Toughness
2.3   
1.6   

Specific Gravity
2.8-3   
Not Available   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3   
Not Available   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15
Not Available   

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
India, Russia   
India, Russia   

Africa
South Africa   
South Africa   

Europe
Iceland   
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
New Zealand, Queensland   

Definition >>
<< All

Variolite vs Essexite  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 Variolite and Essexite  Reserves. Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance. Essexite which is also known as nepheline monzogabbro, is a dark gray or black holocrystalline plutonic Iigneous Rock. 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 Variolite vs Essexite  information and Variolite vs Essexite  characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Variolite vs Essexite  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. Variolite vs Essexite  characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Variolite and Properties of Essexite . Learn more about Variolite vs Essexite  in the next section. The interior uses of Variolite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Essexite  include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Variolite and Essexite , they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Variolite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Essexite  include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Variolite and Essexite 

Here you can know more about Variolite and Essexite . The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Variolite and Essexite  consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Variolite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Essexite  includes Augite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Nepheline, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Variolite vs Essexite , the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Variolite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors whereas, Essexite  is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Variolite is Dull and Soft and that of Essexite  is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Variolite vs Essexite . The hardness of Variolite is 6 and that of Essexite  is 7. The types of Variolite are Not Available whereas types of Essexite  are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Variolite is white to grey while that of Essexite  is black. The specific heat capacity of Variolite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Essexite  is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Variolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Essexite  is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks