Syenite
Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive
igneous rock of the same general composition as
granite but with the
quartz either absent or present in relatively small amounts. The feldspars are
alkaline in character and the dark
mineral is usually
hornblende. Soda-lime feldspars may be present in small quantities. The term syenite was originally applied to hornblende granite like that of Syene in
Egypt, from which the name is derived. Syenite is not a common rock, some of the more important occurrences being in
New England,
Arkansas,
Montana,
New York (syenite gneisses),
Switzerland,
Germany, and
Norway.
See also: list of minerals