Porphyry

Syenite

Porphyry vs Syenite

Porphyry

Syenite

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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

Syenite is a coarse-grained igneous rock which is composed mainly of alkali feldspar and various ferromagnesian minerals

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From French syénite, from Latin Syenites (lapis ) (stone) of Syene

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, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Porphyritic

Earthy

Color

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

Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Types

Rhomb Porphyry

Shonkinite

Features

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable

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.

Syenites are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, 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

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.6-2.7

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm³2.6-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

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

Bulgaria, England, Germany, Norway, Romania, Switzerland

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Brazil, Chile

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Porphyry vs Syenite 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 Syenite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Syenite is a coarse-grained igneous rock which is composed mainly of alkali feldspar and various ferromagnesian minerals. 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 Syenite information and Porphyry vs Syenite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Syenite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Syenite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Syenite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Syenite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Syenite, 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, Syenite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Syenite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Syenite. The hardness of Porphyry is 6-7 and that of Syenite is 5.5-6. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Syenite are Shonkinite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry and Syenite is white. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Syenite is 0.92 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 Syenite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.