Porphyry

Ignimbrite

Porphyry vs Ignimbrite

Porphyry

Ignimbrite

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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

Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows

History

Origin

Egypt

New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown

Patrick Marshall

Etymology

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

From Latin ignis fire + imber, imbr- shower of rain, storm cloud + -ite

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Aphanitic

Color

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

Beige, Black, Brown, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Pyroclastic rock

Features

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

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

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.

Ignimbrites are formed from very poorly sorted mixture of volcanic ash or tuff and pumice lapilli, commonly with scattered lithic fragments.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Ca, NaCl

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact 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

6-74-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Uneven

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Vitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²243.80 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.73

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³1-1.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.20 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

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Europe

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

France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

Porphyry vs Ignimbrite 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 Ignimbrite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Ignimbrite is a volcanic rock consisting mainly of pumice fragments, formed by the consolidation of material deposited by pyroclastic flows. 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 Ignimbrite information and Porphyry vs Ignimbrite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Ignimbrite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Ignimbrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Ignimbrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Ignimbrite includes Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Hematite, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Ignimbrite, 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, Ignimbrite is available in beige, black, brown, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Ignimbrite is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Ignimbrite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Ignimbrite is 4-6. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Ignimbrite are Pyroclastic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Ignimbrite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Ignimbrite is 0.20 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 Ignimbrite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.