Syenite
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Description
A coarse-grain, igneous rock, similar to Granite except with very little Quartz or Mica. Syenite is composed of alkali Feldspar mixed with other minerals, such as Hornblende or Pyroxene. Syenite is found in Germany, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States (New York, Arkansas, Montana, New England). The name syenite is also commonly applied to any red granite since its name is derived from Syene in Egypt where a famous red granite was quarried (Lent 1925).
Synonyms and Related Terms
sienita (Esp.); sienito (Port.); Syenit (Deut.) ; syeniet (Ned.)
Physical and Chemical Properties
| Mohs Hardness | 5.5 - 6.0 |
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Resources and Citations
- F.Lent, Trade names and Descriptions of Marbles, Limestones, Sandstones, Granites and Other Building Stones Quarried in the United States Canada and other Countries, Stone Publishing Co, New York, 1925.
- Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "syenite" [Accessed January 22, 2002
- C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syenite (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)