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
Pantellerite is a peralkaline rhyolite. It has a higher iron and lower aluminium composition than comendite
History
Origin
France
Strait of sicily
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Latin varius, speckled, variegated
From Pantelleria, a volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
Volcanic
Volcanic
Other Categories
Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular
Eutaxitic
Color
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey
Dark Greenish - Grey
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Soft
Layered and Foliated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
-
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
-
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
-
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Creating Artwork
Types
Metamorphic rock
Pantelleritic Ignimbrite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
High Fe content
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
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.
Pantellerite 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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Amphibole, Feldspar, Ilmenite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Al, Fe
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
66-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
-
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Sub-conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
-
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
-
Earthy
Compressive Strength
37.50 N/mm2210.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Conchoidal
Toughness
2.3
2
Specific Gravity
2.8-3-9999
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.9-3.1 g/cm3-9999 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
India, Russia
China, India
Africa
South Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria
Europe
Iceland
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
Central Australia, Queensland, Western Australia