Definition
During the impact melted material forming a breccia containing glass and crystal or lithic fragments together form Suevite rock.
Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix
History
Origin
Canada, Germany
Egypt
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
No etymologies found
From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
-
Plutonic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy
Porphyritic
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Banded
Dull
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Construction Aggregate
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
Types
Phyllosilicates, Calcite
Rhomb Porphyry
Features
Host Rock for Lead
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
Absent
Formation
Suevite is a metamorphic rock consisting partly of melted material, typically forming a breccia containing glass and crystal or lithic fragments, formed during an impact event.
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
Coesite, Quartz, Stishovite
Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium 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
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
5.56-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Irregular
Streak
Light to dark brown
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Earthy
Dull
Compressive Strength
65.00 N/mm2150.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
-
Toughness
-
1.7
Specific Gravity
2.862.5-4
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm32.5-2.52 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
-
China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
-
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa
Europe
England, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
-
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
-
Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA
South America
-
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
-
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia