Definition
Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine
  
Rhomb-porphyry is a porphyritic igneous rock with abundant wedge or lens shaped anorthoclase or feldspar phenocrysts
  
History
  
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks
  
From Latin term that means purple
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Igneous Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Plutonic
  
Volcanic
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic
  
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
  
Color
Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey
  
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
  
Maintenance
Less
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Scratch Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Stain Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Acid Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
  
Rough
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone
  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
  
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road 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
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Metallurgical Flux, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
  
Types
Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites
  
Not Available
  
Features
Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock
  
Host Rock for Lead
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Absent
  
Formation
Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.
  
Rhomb-porphyry 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
Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene
  
Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
  
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
  
CaO, Cl, MgO
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Impact Metamorphism
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
7
  
5-5.5
  
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
  
Fine Grained
  
Fracture
Uneven
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey
  
White
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Very Less Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Subvitreous to Dull
  
Compressive Strength
Not Available
  
310.00 N/mm
2
  
2
Cleavage
Irregular
  
Perfect
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
2.7
  
Specific Gravity
3.2-3.5
  
2.86
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Translucent
  
Density
3.1-3.6 g/cm3
  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
  
0.92 kJ/Kg K
  
10
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
India, Russia
  
Not Yet Found
  
Africa
South Africa
  
Not Yet Found
  
Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
  
Bulgaria
  
Others
Greenland
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, USA
  
USA
  
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
  
Not Yet Found
  
All about Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry Properties
Know all about Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry belong to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic whereas that of Rhomb Porphyry is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Rhomb Porphyry appears Rough. The luster of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Rhomb Porphyry is subvitreous to dull. Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors whereas Rhomb Porphyry is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones and that of Rhomb Porphyry are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, metallurgical flux, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).