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Porphyry
Porphyry

Tonalite
Tonalite



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Porphyry vs Tonalite

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Definition

Definition

Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix
Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture

History

Origin

Egypt
Tonale, Italy

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites
From Tonale Pass, northern Italy, + -ite1

Class

Igneous Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic
Plutonic

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Porphyritic
Phaneritic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White
Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

Not Available
Not Available

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Types

Types

Rhomb Porphyry
Dacite

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
Is one of the oldest rock, Typically speckled black and white.

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Used
Not Yet Used

Famous Monuments

Not Available
Not Applicable

Sculpture

Used
Used

Famous Sculptures

Not Available
Not Available

Pictographs

Not Used
Not Used

Petroglyphs

Not Used
Not Used

Figurines

Used
Used

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

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.
When alkali feldspar is extracted from granite, it changes to granitoid and later, it becomes tonalite with quartz as major mineral.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

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

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Not Registered
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular
Conchoidal

Streak

White
Bluish Black

Porosity

Less Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull
Subvitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

NANA
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Not Available
Not Available

Toughness

1.7
2.1

Specific Gravity

2.5-42.86-3
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.5-2.52 g/cm32.73 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

NA0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Not Available

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa
Egypt

Europe

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

Others

Greenland
Not Available

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA
USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia

Porphyry vs Tonalite 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 Tonalite Reserves. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Tonalite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock consisting mainly of sodic plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende or other mafic minerals with phaneritic texture. 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 Tonalite information and Porphyry vs Tonalite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Porphyry and Tonalite

Here you can know more about Porphyry and Tonalite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Porphyry and Tonalite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Tonalite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Manganese Oxides, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Porphyry vs Tonalite, 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, Tonalite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Porphyry is Dull and that of Tonalite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Porphyry vs Tonalite. Hardness of Porphyry and Tonalite is 6-7. The types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry whereas types of Tonalite are Dacite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Porphyry is white while that of Tonalite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Porphyry is Not Available and that of Tonalite 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 Tonalite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.