Definition
Lamprophyre is uncommon igneous rocks primarily occurring as dikes, lopoliths, laccoliths, stocks and small intrusions
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Greek lampros bright and shining + porphureos purple
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Porphyritic
Phaneritic
Color
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Creating Artwork, Curling
Types
Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite
Not Available
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Typically speckled black and white.
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Formation
Lamprophyre formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface at around 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.
Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine to Coarse Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Streak
White
Bluish Black
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Shiny
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Conchoidal
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.8-3
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.95-2.96 g/cm3
2.8-3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Russia
Not Yet Found
Africa
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa
Egypt
Europe
England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
Others
Antarctica, Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
Lamprophyre vs Diorite 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. Lamprophyre vs Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lamprophyre and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Lamprophyre vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Lamprophyre include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lamprophyre and Diorite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lamprophyre in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Lamprophyre and Diorite
Here you can know more about Lamprophyre and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lamprophyre and Diorite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lamprophyre includes Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene and mineral content of Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Lamprophyre vs Diorite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Lamprophyre is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors whereas, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Lamprophyre is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lamprophyre vs Diorite. The hardness of Lamprophyre is 5-6 and that of Diorite is 6-7. The types of Lamprophyre are Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite whereas types of Diorite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Lamprophyre is white while that of Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Lamprophyre is Not Available and that of Diorite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Lamprophyre is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.
