Felsite

Porphyry

Felsite vs Porphyry

Felsite

Porphyry

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Egypt

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From English feldspar and -ite

From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Porphyritic

2.2 Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Dull

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Construction Aggregate

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Surgery

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Mirror, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

Rhomb Porphyry

4.2 Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Felsite 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.

Porphyry is formed in two stages: the magma cools slowly deep within the crust or the magma is cools rapidly as it erupts from a volcano, creating small grains that are usually invisible to naked eye.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica

5.2.2 Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Not Registered

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

5-5.5

6-7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Very Less Porous

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

0.15 N/mm²

Rank: 33 (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

Imperfect

6.1.9 Toughness

Not Available

1.7

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.7

2.5-4

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.6 g/cm³

2.5-2.52 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

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▶

▼

0.92 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 10 (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Kenya

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

7.2.2 South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New Zealand

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Felsite vs Porphyry Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Felsite and Porphyry Reserves. Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Felsite vs Porphyry information and Felsite vs Porphyry characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Felsite vs Porphyry Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Felsite vs Porphyry characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Felsite and Properties of Porphyry. Learn more about Felsite vs Porphyry in the next section. The interior uses of Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Felsite and Porphyry, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Felsite in construction industry include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points and that of Porphyry include Construction aggregate.

More about Felsite and Porphyry

Here you can know more about Felsite and Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Felsite and Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides and mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Felsite vs Porphyry, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas, Porphyry is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, red, rust, white colors. Appearance of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Porphyry is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Felsite vs Porphyry. The hardness of Felsite is 5-5.5 and that of Porphyry is 6-7. The types of Felsite are Not Available whereas types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Felsite and Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Felsite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Porphyry is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Felsite is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant.