Porphyry

Lherzolite

Porphyry vs Lherzolite

Porphyry

Lherzolite

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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

Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions

History

Origin

Egypt

France

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From the Lherz Massif, an alpine peridotite complex, at Étang de Lers, near Massat in the French Pyrenees; Lherz is the archaic spelling of this location

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Grenue

Color

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

Black, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Pink, Purple

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

Landscaping, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

As armour rock for sea walls, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Used in aquariums

Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Garnet Lherzolite

Features

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

Host Rock for Lead

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.

Lherzolite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite

Compound Content

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

CaO, Cr, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

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

Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact 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, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²290.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.7

2.7

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.95 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

Russia, South Korea

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Western Africa

Europe

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

United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

Porphyry vs Lherzolite 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 Lherzolite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Lherzolite is a type of ultramafic igneous rock which contains essential olivine and clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene in equal proportions. 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 Lherzolite information and Porphyry vs Lherzolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Porphyry vs Lherzolite 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 Lherzolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Porphyry and Properties of Lherzolite. Learn more about Porphyry vs Lherzolite in the next section. The interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Lherzolite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Porphyry and Lherzolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Porphyry in construction industry include Construction aggregate and that of Lherzolite include Landscaping, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Porphyry and Lherzolite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Lherzolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Lherzolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Lherzolite includes Harzburgite, Olivine, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Lherzolite, 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, Lherzolite is available in black, dark greenish - grey, green, pink, purple colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Lherzolite is Glassy, Vesicular and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Lherzolite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Lherzolite is 6.5. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Lherzolite are Garnet Lherzolite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Lherzolite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Lherzolite is 0.95 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 Lherzolite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.