A piece of porphyry

Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts. In its non-geologic, traditional use, the term "porphyry" refers to the purple-red form of this stone, valued for its appearance. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3648 × 2736 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3648 × 2736 pixel, file size: 4. ... Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... “Rock” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Crystal (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Quartz (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The matrix or groundmass of an igneous rock consists of fine grained often microscopic crystals in which larger crystals (phenocrysts) are embedded. ... Example of phenocrysts in rhomb porphyry from the Oslo rift area in Norway A phenocryst is a relatively large and usually conspicuous crystal formed in the mass of a porphyritic igneous rock. ...

The term "porphyry" is from Greek and means "purple". Purple was the color of royalty, and the "Imperial Porphyry" was a deep brownish purple igneous rock with large crystals of plagioclase. This rock was prized for various monuments and building projects in Imperial Rome and later. Pliny's Natural History affirmed that the "Imperial Porphyry" had been discovered at an isolated site in Egypt in AD 18, by a Roman legionnaire named Caius Cominius Leugas (Werner 1998). It came from a single quarry in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, from 600 million year old andesite of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. The road from the quarry westward to Qena (Roman Maximianopolis) on the Nile, which Ptolemy put on his second-century map, was described first by Strabo, and it is to this day known as the Via Porphyrites, the Porphyry Road, its track marked by the hydreumata, or watering wells that made it viable in this utterly dry landscape. Porphyry was extensively used in Byzantine imperial monuments, for example in Hagia Sophia and in the "Porphyra", the official delivery room for use of pregnant Empresses in the Great Palace of Constantinople. This article is about the color. ... Lunar Ferroan Anorthosite #60025 (Plagioclase Feldspar). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Naturalis Historia Pliny the Elders Natural History is an encyclopedia written by Pliny the Elder. ... Rock temples cut directly in the rocks at the Silsileh quarrying site, near Aswan The Stone quarries of ancient Egypt (now archaeological sites) once produced quality stone for the construction of decorative monuments such as sculptures and obelisks. ... The template of this page is being worked at Wikipedia:WikiProject Ecoregions/Template. ... A sample of andesite (dark groundmass) with amygdaloidal vesicules filled with zeolite. ... The Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) is an exposure of Precambrian crystalline rocks exposed on the flanks of the Red Sea. ... This article is about the geographer, mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ... In Hellenistic and Roman Arabia and Egypt, a hydreuma (plural hydreumata) was an enclosed (and often fortified) watering station (Greek hydros, water) at wadis in dry regions. ... Hagia Sophia The patriarchal basilica Hagia Sophia (Greek: ; Holy Wisdom), now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the culmination of early Christian architecture. ... One of floor mosaics excavated at the Great Palace and dated to the reign of Justinian I. It is presumed to represent a conquered Gothic king. ...

After the fourth century the quarry was lost to sight for many centuries. The scientific members of the French Expedition under Napoleon sought for it in vain, and it was only when the Eastern Desert was reopened for study under Muhammad Ali that the site was rediscovered by Burton and Wilkinson in 1823. For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... This article is about the viceroy of Egypt. ... John Gardiner Wilkinson (October 5, 1797 - October 29, 1875) was a well-known English traveller, writer and pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century. ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Subsequently the name was given to igneous rocks with large crystals. Porphyry now refers to a texture of igneous rocks. Its chief characteristic is a large difference between the size of the tiny matrix crystals and other much larger crystals, called phenocrysts. Porphyries may be aphanites or phanerites, that is, the groundmass may have invisibly small crystals, like basalt, or the individual crystals of the groundmass may be easily distinguished with the eye, as in granite. Many types of igneous rocks may display porphyrytic texture. Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... Rock microstructure includes the texture of a rock and the small scale rock structures. ... A phenocryst is a relatively large and usually conspicuous crystal formed in the mass of a porphyritic igneous rock. ... An aphanite is an igneous rock with a fine-grained structure. ... An igneous rock having the grains of its essential minerals large enough to be seen macroscopically, i. ... For the cities, see Basalt, Colorado and Basalt, Idaho. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ...

Formation

Porphyry deposits are formed when a column of rising magma is cooled in two stages. In the first stage, the magma is cooled slowly deep in the crust, creating the large crystal grains, with a diameter of 2 mm or more. In the final stage, the magma is cooled rapidly at relatively shallow depth or as it erupts from a volcano, creating small grains that are usually invisible to the unaided eye. The cooling also leads to a separation of dissolved metals into distinct zones. This process is one of the main reasons for the existence of rich, localised metal ore deposits such as those of gold, copper, molybdenum, lead, tin, zinc and tungsten. Magma is molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth (or any other terrestrial planet), and which often collects in a magma chamber. ... Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska photographed from the International Space Station For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... General Name, Symbol, Number molybdenum, Mo, 42 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 5, d Appearance gray metallic Standard atomic weight 95. ... For Pb as an abbreviation, see PB. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series Post-transition metals or poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish gray Standard atomic weight 207. ... This article is about the metallic chemical element. ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... For other uses, see Tungsten (disambiguation). ...

Porphyry in history

The porphyry portal of the "church house" at Colditz Castle, Saxony, designed by Andreas Walther II (1584), is a clear example of the exuberance of "Antwerp Mannerism".

All the porphyry columns in Rome, the red porphyry togas on busts of emperors, the porphyry panels in the revetment of the Pantheon, as well as the altars and vases and fountain basins reused in the Renaissance and dispersed as far as Kiev, all came from the one quarry at Mons Porpyritis ("Porphyry Mountain", the Arabic Jabal Abu Dukhan), which seems to have been worked intermittently between 29 and 330, when Constantine I celebrated the founding of his capital Constantinople with a 30-meter (100') pillar, built of seven stacked porphyry drums, which still stands. A triumphant last use were the eight monolithic columns of porphyry that support exedrae (semicircular niches) in Hagia Sophia. Justinian's chronicler, Procopius, called the columns "a meadow with its flowers in full bloom, surely to make a man marvel at the purple of some and at those on which the crimson glows." (noted by Werner). Download high resolution version (1984x1488, 643 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1984x1488, 643 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Colditz Castle in April 1945. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stat Sakska) has a land area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4. ... 1584 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... In Parmigianinos Madonna with the Long Neck (1534-40), Mannerism makes itself known by elongated proportions, affected poses, and unclear perspective. ... Facade of the Pantheon The Pantheon (Latin Pantheon[1], from Greek Πάνθεον Pantheon, meaning Temple of all the gods) is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: , Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587 ft) Population (2006)  - City 4,450,968  - Density 3,299/km² (8,544. ... 29 is my favourite colour!!!!!!!! Events Romans captured Sofia. ... Events May 11 - Constantine I refounds Byzantium, renames it New Rome, and moves the capital of the Roman Empire there from Rome. ... For other uses, see Constantine I (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... An exedra adopted by James Cameron for a neoclassical interior space, at the Hermitage In architecture an exedra is a semicircular recess, often crowned by a half-dome, which is usually set into a buildings facade. ... Hagia Sophia The patriarchal basilica Hagia Sophia (Greek: ; Holy Wisdom), now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the culmination of early Christian architecture. ...

Byzantine historians distinguish two sorts of emperors: those who won power through a coup and those "born to the purple". These porphyrogenites were born to the imperial family in a room in the Great Palace veneered with purple porphyry, as described by Anna Comnena, daughter of the eleventhth-century emperor Alexius I. Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (the Purple-born) (905 - November 9, 959) was the son of Byzantine emperor Leo VI and nephew of Alexander III. He earned his nickname as the legitimate (or more accurately legitimized) son of Leo, as opposed to the others who claimed the throne during his lifetime. ... One of floor mosaics excavated at the Great Palace and dated to the reign of Justinian I. It is presumed to represent a conquered Gothic king. ... Anna Comnena or better Komnene (Greek: Άννα Κομνηνή, Anna Komnēnē) (December 1, 1083 – 1153). ...

The imperial family were entombed in the purple as well, beginning with Nero, who was the first to be immured in a porphyry sarcophagus. Roman sarcophagi were re-used for imperial burials in Sicily: the porphyry sarcophagi of Holy Roman Emperors Frederick II and Henry IV and king William I of Sicily and the Empress Constance are preserved in the cathedrals of Palermo and Monreale. For other uses, see Nero (disambiguation). ... Frederick II (December 26, 1194 – December 13, 1250), of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was a pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. ... Henry IV (November 11, 1050 – August 7, 1106) was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084, until his forced abdication in 1105. ... William I (d. ... Constance of Sicily ( 1154 - November 27, 1198) was in her own right Queen of Sicily, became German Empress as the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, and was the mother of the Emperor and King of Sicily Frederick II. She was the posthumous daughter of Roger II of... For other uses, see Palermo (disambiguation). ... The apse of the cathedral of Monreale Monreale is a small city in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy. ...

The Romans used the Imperial porphyry for the monolithic pillars of Baalbek's Temple of Heliopolis in Lebanon. Today there are at least 134 porphyry columns in buildings around Rome, all reused from imperial times, since the stone is not naturally present in Italy, and countless altars, basins and other objects. Temple of Bacchus Details inside Temple of Bacchus Baalbek (Arabic: ) is a town in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude 3,850 ft (1,170 m), situated east of the Litani River. ...

The baptismal font in the Cathedral of Magdeburg is made of rose porphyry from Gebel Abu Dokhan near Hurghada, Egypt

Porphyry was used extensively for decoration in Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. This can be seen in the Mannerist style sculpted portal outside the chapel entrance in Colditz Castle. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1162x1049, 301 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1162x1049, 301 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... View of Magdeburg with the cathedral on the right. ... Al-Mahmya: a tourist facility on the protected Giftun island off the coast near Hurghada. ... In Parmigianinos Madonna with the Long Neck (1534-40), Mannerism makes itself known by elongated proportions, affected poses, and unclear perspective. ... Colditz Castle in April 1945. ...

Louis XIV King of France obtained the largest collection of porphyry by acquiring the Borghese collection. “Louis XIV” redirects here. ... Borghese is the surname of a family of Italian noble and papal background, originating in Siena where they came to prominence in the 13th century holding official offices under the commune. ...

In 1840, Bonapartists recovered the body of Napoleon I from Saint Helena and intended to bury it in a porphyry sarcophagus in Les Invalides, Paris. However, the Egyptian quarry was not available and a similar red quartzite from Finland was chosen, in spite of its purchase from the Russian Empire, an enemy of France. // In French political history, Bonapartists were monarchists who desired a French Empire under the House of Bonaparte, the Corsican family of Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I of France) and his nephew Louis (Napoleon III of France). ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... The church at the Invalides Les Invalides in Paris, France consists of a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the buildings original purpose. ... Quartzite Quartzite (from German Quarzit[1]) is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. ...

Example Porphyries

• Dacite porphyry
• Trachyte/latite porphyry
• Diorite porphyry
• Granite porphyry
• Rhyolite porphyry
• basalt porphyry
• see also porphyritic texture
• see also list of rock textures

Grey, red, black, altered white/tan, flow-banded pumice dacite Dacite (IPA: ) is an igneous, volcanic rock with a high iron content. ... A sample of trachyte Trachyte is an igneous, volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. ... Latite is an igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. ... Categories: Mineral stubs | Igneous rocks ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Rhyolite This page is about a volcanic rock. ... For the cities, see Basalt, Colorado and Basalt, Idaho. ... This page is intended to be a list of rock textural and morphological terms. ...

Rhomb porphyry

Rhomb porphyry is a volcanic rock with gray-white large porphyritic rhomb shaped phenocrysts enbedded in a very fine grained red-brown matrix. The composition of rhomb porphyry place it in the trachyte - latite classification of the QAPF diagram. Ignimbrite is a deposit of a pyroclastic flow. ... (For other meanings of Porphyr, see Porphyry) The baptismal font in the Cathedral of Magdeburg is made of rose porphyry from a site near Assuan, Egypt Porphyry is a very hard red, green or purple igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a... Two rhombi. ... A phenocryst is a relatively large and usually conspicuous crystal formed in the mass of a porphyritic igneous rock. ... The matrix or groundmass of an igneous rock consists of fine grained often microscopic crystals in which larger crystals (phenocrysts) are embedded. ... A sample of trachyte Trachyte is an igneous, volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. ... Latite is an igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. ... A QAPF diagram is a double triangle diagram which is used to classify igneous rocks based on mineralogic composition. ...

Rhomb porphyry lavas are known only from three rift areas: The East African Rift (including Mount Kilimanjaro), Mount Erebus near the Ross Sea in Antarctica, and the Oslo graben in Norway. Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In geology, a rift is a place where the Earths lithosphere is expanding. ... Northern section of the Great Rift Valley. ... For other uses, see Kilimanjaro (disambiguation). ... Mount Erebus in Antarctica is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. ... Map of Antarctica (click to enlarge) Ice in the Ross Sea, Antarctica The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land. ... The Oslo Graben was formed during a geologic rifting event in Permian time. ...

External links

• Pictures of the Mons Porphyrites, Red Sea, Egypt.
• Roman occupation of the Eastern Desert of Egypt and the Imperial Porphyry quarries.
• Mons Porphyrites quarries, Egypt
• A visit to the ancient Imperial Porphyry quarries in Egypt.
• Rhomb porphyry lavas
• Flash showing rhomb porphyry formation
• Saudi Aramco World Louis Werner, "Via Porphyrites" November/December 1998