Rhyolite

Porphyry

Rhyolite vs Porphyry

Rhyolite

Porphyry

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Definition

Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix

History

Origin

North America

Egypt

Discoverer

Ferdinand von Richthofen

Unknown

Etymology

From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

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

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Porphyritic

Color

Grey, White, Light Black

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Banded

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

Construction Aggregate

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

Rhomb Porphyry

Features

Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

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

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

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

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-76-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Sub-conchoidal

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Earthy

Dull

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.7

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.672.5-4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.4-2.6 g/cm³2.5-2.52 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India

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

Africa

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

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

Europe

Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain

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

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Rhyolite vs Porphyry 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 Rhyolite and Porphyry Reserves. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. 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 Rhyolite vs Porphyry information and Rhyolite vs Porphyry characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Rhyolite vs 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. Rhyolite vs Porphyry characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Rhyolite and Properties of Porphyry. Learn more about Rhyolite vs Porphyry in the next section. The interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Porphyry include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Rhyolite and Porphyry, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Rhyolite in construction industry include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives and that of Porphyry include Construction aggregate.

More about Rhyolite and Porphyry

Here you can know more about Rhyolite and Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Rhyolite and Porphyry consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Rhyolite vs Porphyry, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors whereas, Porphyry is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, rust, white colors. Appearance of Rhyolite is Banded and that of Porphyry is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Rhyolite vs Porphyry. Hardness of Rhyolite and Porphyry is 6-7. The types of Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks. whereas types of Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Rhyolite is while that of Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Rhyolite is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Porphyry is 0.71 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant whereas Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant.