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Anorthosite
Anorthosite

Porphyry
Porphyry



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Anorthosite
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Anorthosite vs Porphyry

Definition

Definition

Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase
Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix

History

Origin

-
Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1
From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Foliated, Glassy
Porphyritic

Color

Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate
Construction Aggregate

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Curling
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Types

Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite
Rhomb Porphyry

Features

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

Formation

Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.
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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene
Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-66-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular
Irregular

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Pearly to Subvitreous
Dull

Compressive Strength

180.00 N/mm2150.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
1.7

Specific Gravity

2.62-2.822.5-4
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent
Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.7-4 g/cm32.5-2.52 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

-
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Europe

Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic
Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland

Others

-
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada
Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

South America

Bolivia, Colombia
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Anorthosite 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 Anorthosite and Porphyry Reserves. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. 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 Anorthosite vs Porphyry information and Anorthosite vs Porphyry characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Anorthosite and Porphyry

Here you can know more about Anorthosite and Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Anorthosite and Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene 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 Anorthosite vs Porphyry, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors whereas, Porphyry is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, rust, white colors. Appearance of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Porphyry is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Anorthosite vs Porphyry. The hardness of Anorthosite is 5-6 and that of Porphyry is 6-7. The types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite 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 Anorthosite and Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant whereas Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant.