Definition
Granophyre is a type of granitic rock which consists of intergrown feldspar and quartz crystals in a medium to fine grained groundmass
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From German Granophyr, from Granit granite + Porphyr
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Granophyric
Vesicular
Color
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White
Beige, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Vesicular
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Decorative Aggregates, 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, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing, Powder
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks
Medical Industry
-
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums
Types
Intermediate intrusive rock
Scoria
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock
Host Rock for Lead
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.
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.
Mineral Content
Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous
Earthy
Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3
0.25-0.3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA
South America
-
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
New Zealand, Western Australia
Granophyre vs Pumice 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 Pumice characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Granophyre and Properties of Pumice. Learn more about Granophyre vs Pumice 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 Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Granophyre and Pumice, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Granophyre in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Pumice include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks.
More about Granophyre and Pumice
Here you can know more about Granophyre and Pumice. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Granophyre and Pumice consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Granophyre includes Hornblade, Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz and mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Granophyre vs Pumice, 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, Pumice is available in beige, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors. Appearance of Granophyre is Veined or Pebbled and that of Pumice is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Granophyre vs Pumice. The hardness of Granophyre is 6-7 and that of Pumice is 6. The types of Granophyre are Intermediate intrusive rock whereas types of Pumice are Scoria. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Granophyre is white while that of Pumice is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Granophyre is 0.79 kJ/Kg K and that of Pumice is 0.87 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 Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant.