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Porphyry
Porphyry

Breccia
Breccia



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Porphyry vs Breccia

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Definition

Definition

Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material

History

Origin

Egypt
England

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break

Class

Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Porphyritic
Brecciated, Clastic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Rust, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Types

Rhomb Porphyry
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Present

Formation

Formation

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.
Breccia is a clastic sedimentary rock which is composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock which are cemented together by a fine-grained matrix and it forms where broken, angular fragments of rock or mineral debris accumulate.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-77
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular
Uneven

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull
Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm2180.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1.7
-

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.86-2.87
0 8.4
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Transparency

Translucent to Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm30 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA
Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand

Porphyry vs Breccia 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 Porphyry and Breccia Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material. 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 Porphyry vs Breccia information and Porphyry vs Breccia characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Porphyry vs Breccia 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. Porphyry vs Breccia characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Porphyry and Properties of Breccia. Learn more about Porphyry vs Breccia in the next section. The interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Breccia include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Porphyry and Breccia, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Porphyry in construction industry include Construction aggregate and that of Breccia include As dimension stone, Construction aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone.

More about Porphyry and Breccia

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Breccia. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Breccia consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Breccia includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Breccia, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Porphyry is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, rust, white colors whereas, Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Breccia is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Breccia. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Breccia is 7. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Breccia are Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Breccia is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Breccia is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Breccia is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.