Limestone

Porphyry

Limestone vs Porphyry

Limestone

Porphyry

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Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate

Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix

History

Origin

New Zealand

Egypt

Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet

Unknown

Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century

From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Porphyritic

Color

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Banded

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium

Construction Aggregate

Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa

Rhomb Porphyry

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.

Porphyry is formed in two stages: the magma cools slowly deep within the crust or the magma is cools rapidly as it erupts from a volcano, creating small grains that are usually invisible to naked eye.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt

Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-46-7

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly

Dull

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.3-2.72.5-4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm³2.5-2.52 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Europe

United Kingdom

Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

South America

Colombia

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Limestone vs Porphyry Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Limestone and Porphyry Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Limestone vs Porphyry information and Limestone vs Porphyry characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Limestone vs Porphyry 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. Limestone vs Porphyry characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Porphyry. Learn more about Limestone vs Porphyry in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Porphyry, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Limestone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium and that of Porphyry include Construction aggregate.

More about Limestone and Porphyry

Here you can know more about Limestone and Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Porphyry, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Porphyry is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, rust, white colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Porphyry is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Porphyry. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Porphyry is 6-7. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone and Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant.