Porphyry

Aplite

Porphyry vs Aplite

Porphyry

Aplite

Add ⊕

1 Definition

1.1 Definition

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

Aplite is a fine-grained granite composed mainly of feldspar and quartz

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Egypt

Iran

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

From German Aplit, from Greek haploos simple + -ite

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Porphyritic

Granular, Graphic

2.2 Color

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

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, 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

Dull

Veined or Pebbled

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens, Stair Treads

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Small Sculptures, Tombstones

4 Types

4.1 Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Not Available

4.2 Features

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

Available in lots of colors, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

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.

Aplites belong to intrusive igneous rocks which are mostly quart and alkali feldspar and are formed from residual eutectic granitic liquids and represent the final crystallization products of magma.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, 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, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal 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, Not Registered

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-7

6.5

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

⊕

▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

130.00 N/mm²

Rank: 16 (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

⊕

▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Imperfect

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

1.7

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-4

2.6

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³

2.6 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

0.79 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 16 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela

7.1.4 Others

Greenland

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Not Yet Found

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Not Yet Found

Porphyry vs Aplite 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 Porphyry and Aplite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Aplite is a fine-grained granite composed mainly of feldspar and quartz. 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 Porphyry vs Aplite information and Porphyry vs Aplite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Igneous Rocks » More

Porphyry vs Dacite

Porphyry vs Syenite

Porphyry vs Tonalite

» More

More Compare Igneous Rocks

Porphyry vs Aplite 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. Porphyry vs Aplite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Porphyry and Properties of Aplite. Learn more about Porphyry vs Aplite in the next section. The interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Aplite include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens and Stair treads. Due to some exceptional properties of Porphyry and Aplite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Porphyry in construction industry include Construction aggregate and that of Aplite include As dimension stone.

More about Porphyry and Aplite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Aplite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Aplite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Aplite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Aplite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Porphyry is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, red, rust, white colors whereas, Aplite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Aplite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Aplite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Aplite is 6.5. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Aplite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Aplite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is Not Available and that of Aplite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Aplite is heat resistant, wear resistant.