Porphyry

Nephelinite

Porphyry vs Nephelinite

Porphyry

Nephelinite

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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

Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Egypt

Brazil

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

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

from French néphéline, from Greek nephelē

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

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Porphyritic

Aphanitic

2.2 Color

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

Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Dull

Skeletal

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

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

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

4 Types

4.1 Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Peralkaline Nephelinite

4.2 Features

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

Host Rock for Lead

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

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.

Nephelinite 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.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

Ca, CaO, Carbon, Cl, MgO

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

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

Contact Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Not Registered

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-7

6.5

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular

Flat

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Vitreous to Metallic

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

35.00 N/mm²

Rank: 29 (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

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▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Imperfect

6.1.9 Toughness

1.7

2.7

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-4

2.4-2.9

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³

2.5-3 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

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▶

▼

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

0.88 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 13 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

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▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

Japan

7.1.2 Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Rwanda, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

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

Not Yet Found

7.1.4 Others

Greenland

Hawaii Islands

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

Colombia

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Not Yet Found

Porphyry vs Nephelinite 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 Nephelinite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Nephelinite is a fine-grained or aphanitic igneous rock made up almost entirely of nepheline and clinopyroxene (variety augite).. 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 Nephelinite information and Porphyry vs Nephelinite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Nephelinite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Nephelinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Nephelinite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Nephelinite includes Clinopyroxene, Nepheline, Plagioclase. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Nephelinite, 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, Nephelinite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Nephelinite is Skeletal. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Nephelinite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Nephelinite is 6.5. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Nephelinite are Peralkaline Nephelinite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Nephelinite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is Not Available and that of Nephelinite is 0.88 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 Nephelinite is heat resistant.