Home
Compare Rocks


Granophyre and Travertine


Travertine and Granophyre


Definition

Definition
Granophyre is a type of granitic rock which consists of intergrown feldspar and quartz crystals in a medium to fine grained groundmass  
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Italy  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio  

Etymology
From German Granophyr, from Granit granite + Porphyr  
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
-  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Granophyric  
Banded  

Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White  
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled  
Fibrous  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads  
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings  

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery  

Types

Types
Intermediate intrusive rock  
Thermal Travertine and Tufa  

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock  
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

Formation
Granophyre 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.  
Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz  
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz  

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  
Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7  
3-4  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
-  
Splintery  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous  
Dull to Pearly  

Compressive Strength
175.00 N/mm2  
20
80.00 N/mm2  
33

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7  
1.68  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3  
2.71 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.79 kJ/Kg K  
17
1.09 kJ/Kg K  
8

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

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

Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic  
Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
-  
Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
-  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Granophyre and Travertine Properties

Know all about Granophyre and Travertine properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Granophyre belongs to Igneous Rocks while Travertine belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Granophyre is Granophyric whereas that of Travertine is Banded. Granophyre appears Veined or Pebbled and Travertine appears Fibrous. The luster of Granophyre is dull to grainy with sporadic parts pearly and vitreous while that of Travertine is dull to pearly. Granophyre is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Granophyre are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, tombstones and that of Travertine are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, paper industry, pottery.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks