Porphyry

Sovite

Porphyry vs Sovite

Porphyry

Sovite

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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

Sovite is a coarse-grained variety of carbonatite which belongs to intrusive igneous rock

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Granular, Poikiloblastic

Color

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

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Carbonatite

Features

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

Available in lots of colors, 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.

Sovites are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite

Compound Content

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

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide

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

6-73

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²195.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.86-2.87

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³2.84-2.86 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

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

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

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 South Wales, New Zealand

Porphyry vs Sovite 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 Sovite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Sovite is a coarse-grained variety of carbonatite which belongs to intrusive igneous rock. 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 Sovite information and Porphyry vs Sovite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Porphyry vs Sovite 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 Sovite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Porphyry and Properties of Sovite. Learn more about Porphyry vs Sovite in the next section. The interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Sovite include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Porphyry and Sovite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Porphyry in construction industry include Construction aggregate and that of Sovite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Porphyry and Sovite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Sovite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Sovite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Sovite includes Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Sovite, 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, Sovite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Sovite is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Sovite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Sovite is 3. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Sovite are Carbonatite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Sovite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Sovite is 0.84 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 Sovite is heat resistant, pressure resistant.