Porphyry

Pyrolite

Porphyry vs Pyrolite

Porphyry

Pyrolite

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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

Pyrolite is an igneous rock consisting of about three parts of peridotite and one part of basalt

History

Origin

Egypt

Pike County, U.S

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From the chemical and mineralogical composition of the upper mantle of the Earth

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Phaneritic

Color

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

Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Dunite, Wehrlite, Harzburgite, Lherzolite

Features

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

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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.

Pyrolite 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

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

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

Ca, Fe, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional 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, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-75.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Shiny

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²107.55 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Toughness

1.7

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.5-43-3.01

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³3.1-3.4 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K1.25 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Morocco, South Africa

Europe

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

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

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 Zealand, Western Australia

Porphyry vs Pyrolite 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 Pyrolite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Pyrolite is an igneous rock consisting of about three parts of peridotite and one part of basalt. 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 Pyrolite information and Porphyry vs Pyrolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Pyrolite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Pyrolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Pyrolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Pyrolite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Pyrolite, 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, Pyrolite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Pyrolite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Pyrolite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Pyrolite is 5.5-6. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Pyrolite are Dunite, Wehrlite, Harzburgite, Lherzolite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Pyrolite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Pyrolite is 1.25 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 Pyrolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.