Porphyry

Conglomerate

Porphyry vs Conglomerate

Porphyry

Conglomerate

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Definition

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

Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock which forms from rounded gravel and boulder sized clasts which are cemented together in a matrix

History

Origin

Egypt

Italy

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From Latin conglomeratus, to roll together, i.e. from com together + glomerare to gather into a ball, from glomus (genitive glomeris) a ball

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Clastic

Color

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

Beige, Black, Brown, Buff, Light to Dark Grey, Orange, Rust, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Shiny and Rounded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Cemetery Markers, In aquifers, Tombstones

Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Orthoconglomerate and Paraconglomerate

Features

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

Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

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.

Conglomerate forms where sediments consisting mainly of pebble and cobble-size clasts at least two millimeters in diameter starts accumulating.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Clay, Sand, Silica, Silt

Compound Content

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

NaCl, CaO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-72-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Uneven

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²70.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.86-2.88

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³1.7-2.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, 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

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

Canada, 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 Conglomerate 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 Conglomerate Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock which forms from rounded gravel and boulder sized clasts which are cemented together in a 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 Porphyry vs Conglomerate information and Porphyry vs Conglomerate characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Conglomerate

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Conglomerate. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Conglomerate consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Conglomerate includes Clay, Sand, Silica, Silt. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Conglomerate, 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, Conglomerate is available in beige, black, brown, buff, light to dark grey, orange, rust, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Conglomerate is Shiny and Rounded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Conglomerate. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Conglomerate is 2-3. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Conglomerate are Orthoconglomerate and Paraconglomerate. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Conglomerate is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Conglomerate 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.Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Conglomerate is heat resistant.