Porphyry

Granite

Porphyry vs Granite

Porphyry

Granite

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

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

Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Egypt

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum

1.4 Class

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Porphyritic

Granular, Phaneritic

2.2 Color

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

Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Dull

Veined or Pebbled

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

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

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

4 Types

4.1 Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite

4.2 Features

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Blue Domed Church in Santorini, Greece, Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London, UK, Ephesus in Turkey, Georgia Guidestones in Georgia, US, Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Khajuraho Temples, India, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, India, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Signers Monument in Augusta, Georgia, Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower Bridge in London, Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, US, Washington Monument, US

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Avukana Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka, Lincoln Memorial in America, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US, The Colossal Red Granite Statue of Amenhotep III in Karnak, Egypt

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 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.

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

5.2.2 Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, 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

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Not Registered

Biological Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-76-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Large and Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

NA175.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Imperfect

Not Available

6.1.9 Toughness

1.7

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-42.6-2.7

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³2.65-2.75 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NA0.79 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela

7.1.4 Others

Greenland

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Not Yet Found

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Not Yet Found

Porphyry vs Granite 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 Granite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone. 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 Granite information and Porphyry vs Granite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Granite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Granite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Granite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Granite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Granite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Porphyry is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, red, rust, white colors whereas, Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Granite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Granite. Hardness of Porphyry and Granite is 6-7. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Granite are Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Granite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is Not Available and that of Granite is 0.79 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 Granite is heat resistant, wear resistant.