Definition
Lamprophyre is uncommon igneous rocks primarily occurring as dikes, lopoliths, laccoliths, stocks and small intrusions
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth
Discoverer
Unknown
Obsius
Etymology
From Greek lampros bright and shining + porphureos purple
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius
Class
Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock
Texture
Porphyritic
Glassy
Color
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Office Buildings
Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Surgery
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Jewellery
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, Mirror, Used in aquariums
Types
Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Lamprophyre formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface at around 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene
-
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, 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
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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, Glacier Erosion
Grain Size
Fine to Coarse Grained
-
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Subvitreous to Dull
Vitreous
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.6-2.7
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Translucent
Density
2.95-2.96 g/cm3
2.6 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Russia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Africa
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa
Kenya
Europe
England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Others
Antarctica, Greenland
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand
Lamprophyre vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lamprophyre and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Lamprophyre vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Lamprophyre include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Lamprophyre and Obsidian, 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 Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.
More about Lamprophyre and Obsidian
Here you can know more about Lamprophyre and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lamprophyre and Obsidian consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lamprophyre includes Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene and mineral content of Obsidian includes . You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Lamprophyre vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Lamprophyre is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lamprophyre vs Obsidian. The hardness of Lamprophyre is 5-6 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Lamprophyre are Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Lamprophyre and Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Lamprophyre is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian 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.Lamprophyre is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.