melteigite

Ijolite (Oka Carbonatite Complex, Early Cretaceous, 124-125 Ma; Oka Niobium Mine, Quebec, Canada) (14822252052)

Ijolite is an

igneous rock Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma o ...

consisting essentially of

nepheline Nepheline, also called nephelite (), is a rock-forming mineral in the feldspathoid groupa silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3 K Al4 Si4 O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatite ...

and augite. Ijolite is a rare rock type of considerable importance from a

mineralogical Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the p ...

and

petrological Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly taught together ...

standpoint. The word is derived from the first syllable of the Finnish words such as ''Iivaara'', ''Iijoki'', common as geographical names in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, and the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

''Xiflos'', a stone. Ijolite occurs in various parts of the Kainuu region of eastern

and in the

Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...

of northwest

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

on the shores of the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...

. Ijolite was first defined and named by Finnish geologist

Wilhelm Ramsay Wilhelm Ramsay (20 January 1865 – 6 January 1928) was a Finland Swede geologist. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1914 and in 1915 was accepted into the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund. He coined the terms Fen ...

. The pyroxene is , yellow or green, and is surrounded by formless areas of nepheline. The accessory minerals are apatite,

cancrinite Cancrinite is a complex carbonate and silicate of sodium, calcium and aluminium with the formula Na6 Ca2 O3)2.html" ;"title="carbon">C Coxygen">O3)2"> O3)2">aluminum">Al6silicon.html"_;"title="luminum.html"_;"title="oxygen.html"_;"ti_...

,_calcite.html" ;"title="Coxygen">O3)2">aluminum">Al6silicon.html" ;"title="luminum.html" ;"title="oxygen.html" ;"ti ...

References