porcellanite, hard, dense rock that takes its name from its resemblance to unglazed porcelain. Frequently porcellanite is an impure variety of chert containing clay and calcareous matter; when of this nature it is composed chiefly of silica (see chert and flint).
The porcellanite of some authorities is a silicified tuff, a rock composed of volcanic fragments that has been altered to silica, or even metamorphosed marl, calcareous rock fragments altered by heat and pressure (see also hälleflinta). One porcellanite, common in lignite deposits, is formed from the fusion of shales and clay on the floor, walls, and roof of burned coal seams.