Pegmatite

Porphyry

Pegmatite vs Porphyry

Pegmatite

Porphyry

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Definition

Pegmatite rock is a holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is composed of interlocking phaneritic crystals

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

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

R. J. Hauy

Unknown

Etymology

From Greek pegma, pegmat which means- thing joined together + -ite

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

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Pegmatitic

Porphyritic

Color

Black, Brown, Cream, Green, Grey, 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

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping

Construction Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Jewelry, Source of corundum, tourmalines, beryls and topaz

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Granite Pegmatite, Gabbro Pegmatite and Diorite Pegmatite

Rhomb Porphyry

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Source of corundum, tourmalines, beryls and topaz

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Pegmatite rock is holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is formed by partial melting and dewatering during the process of metamorphism.

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

Apatite, Beryl, Feldspar, Fluorite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Quartz, Silica, Spodumene, Topaz

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

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, Phosphorus Pentoxide

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, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

76-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Grainy, Pearly and Vitreous

Dull

Compressive Strength

178.54 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.1

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.632.5-4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.6-2.65 g/cm³2.5-2.52 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Iran, Japan, Nepal, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

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

Africa

South Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Europe

Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine

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

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Pegmatite 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 Pegmatite and Porphyry Reserves. Pegmatite rock is a holocrystalline, intrusive igneous rock which is composed of interlocking phaneritic crystals. 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 Pegmatite vs Porphyry information and Pegmatite vs Porphyry characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Pegmatite 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. Pegmatite vs Porphyry characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pegmatite and Properties of Porphyry. Learn more about Pegmatite vs Porphyry in the next section. The interior uses of Pegmatite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Pegmatite and Porphyry, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pegmatite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping and that of Porphyry include Construction aggregate.

More about Pegmatite and Porphyry

Here you can know more about Pegmatite and Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pegmatite and Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pegmatite includes Apatite, Beryl, Feldspar, Fluorite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Quartz, Silica, Spodumene, Topaz and mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pegmatite vs Porphyry, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pegmatite is available in black, brown, cream, green, grey, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Porphyry is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, rust, white colors. Appearance of Pegmatite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Porphyry is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pegmatite vs Porphyry. The hardness of Pegmatite is 7 and that of Porphyry is 6-7. The types of Pegmatite are Granite Pegmatite, Gabbro Pegmatite and Diorite Pegmatite 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 Pegmatite and Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Pegmatite is 0.79 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.Pegmatite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant.