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
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
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, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Rough
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
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
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
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
Igneous rock
Features
Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
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.
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
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
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
Specific Gravity
3.2-3.5
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
3.1-3.6 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Bulgaria
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
-
Pyroxenite vs Rhomb Porphyry 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. Pyroxenite vs Rhomb Porphyry characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pyroxenite and Properties of Rhomb Porphyry. Learn more about Pyroxenite vs Rhomb Porphyry in the next section. The interior uses of Pyroxenite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Rhomb Porphyry include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pyroxenite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Rhomb Porphyry 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 Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry
Here you can know more about Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pyroxenite includes Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene and mineral content of Rhomb Porphyry includes Alkali feldspar, Biotite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pyroxenite vs Rhomb Porphyry, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Pyroxenite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Rhomb Porphyry is Rough. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pyroxenite vs Rhomb Porphyry. The hardness of Pyroxenite is 7 and that of Rhomb Porphyry is 5-5.5. The types of Pyroxenite are Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites whereas types of Rhomb Porphyry are Igneous rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Pyroxenite and Rhomb Porphyry is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Pyroxenite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhomb Porphyry 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.Pyroxenite is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Rhomb Porphyry is heat resistant, pressure resistant.