Definition
Granophyre is a type of granitic rock which consists of intergrown feldspar and quartz crystals in a medium to fine grained groundmass
Laterite rock is a type of Sedimentary rock which is rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas
Discoverer
Unknown
Francis Buchanan-Hamilton
Etymology
From German Granophyr, from Granit granite + Porphyr
From Latin later brick, tile + -ite1
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granophyric
Earthy, Massive, Porphyritic
Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Brown, Buff, Red
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Banded
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Source of bauxite, Used in aquariums
Types
Intermediate intrusive rock
Laterite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
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.
Laterite is a type of sedimentary rock which is generally a reddish weathering product of basalt.
Mineral Content
Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz
Aluminum Oxides, Biotite, Hematite, Hornblade, Iron Oxides, Manganese Oxides, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
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, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
Dull
Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7
-9999
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3
-9999 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
India
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
East Africa, Western Africa
Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic
England, Romania, Scotland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
Central Australia, Western Australia
Granophyre vs Laterite 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. Granophyre vs Laterite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granophyre and Properties of Laterite. Learn more about Granophyre vs Laterite in the next section. The interior uses of Granophyre include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Laterite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granophyre and Laterite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granophyre in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Laterite include Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone.
More about Granophyre and Laterite
Here you can know more about Granophyre and Laterite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granophyre and Laterite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granophyre includes Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz and mineral content of Laterite includes Aluminum Oxides, Biotite, Hematite, Hornblade, Iron Oxides, Manganese Oxides, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granophyre vs Laterite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Granophyre is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors whereas, Laterite is available in brown, buff, red colors. Appearance of Granophyre is Veined or Pebbled and that of Laterite is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granophyre vs Laterite. The hardness of Granophyre is 6-7 and that of Laterite is 2. The types of Granophyre are Intermediate intrusive rock whereas types of Laterite are Laterite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granophyre and Laterite is white. The specific heat capacity of Granophyre is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Laterite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Granophyre is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Laterite is heat resistant, pressure resistant.