porphyry
porphyry
Definition
por·phyry (pôr′fə rē)
noun pl. porphyries -·ries
- Historical an Egyptian rock with large feldspar crystals contained in a purplish groundmass
- any igneous rock with large, distinct crystals, esp. of alkali feldspar, embedded in a fine-grained matrix
Etymology: ME porfirie < OFr porfire < ML porphyreum, altered < L porphyrites < Gr porphyritēs (lithos), lit., purple (stone) < porphyros, purple
porphyry
Usage Examples
Converse of object
- mineralise: Detailed stream sediment and rock chip sampling led to the identification of mineralised porphyry with stronger copper than gold potential.
Adjective modifier
- red: The principal substrata are, sandstone, amygdaloid alternated with trap, and red porphyry.
Modifies a noun
- mineralization: North Lanut, Indonesia The 50,000 hectare tenement covers several areas prospective for epithermal and porphyry mineralization.
- copper: The Company is exploring for copper on its porphyry copper mineral properties located in Macedonia.
- deposit: Essentially, ' oxide ' copper minerals are absent ( as they are in most porphyry copper deposits in northern Peru and Ecuador ).
- system: We conclude from this that the porphyry system is not disrupted.
- complex: Into these units, a porphyry complex, the Rio Blanco Porphyry System, was intruded.
- intrusion: Good access site to the granodiorite and rhyolitic porphyry intrusions of Slieve Gallion.
Noun used with modifier
- copper: This license hosts at least eight gold prospects and copper molybdenum gold porphyry with recently discovered platinum group element potential and rare earth deposits.
- feldspar: The porphyry complex has a quartz porphyry core ( exposed in Quebrada Majaz ), which intruded an earlier feldspar porphyry complex.
porphyry Quotes
For seasons change, And order, truth, and beauty range, Adjust, attract, and fill: The grass the polyanthus cheques; And polished porphyry reflects, By the descending rill.
Browse dictionary entries near porphyry
- porphyropsin
- porphyroid
- porphyritic
- porphyrin
- porphyries
- porphyria
- porphyratin
- porousness
- porously
- porous
- porpoise
- porpoises
- porridge
- porringer
- Porsena
- Porsenna
- port
- port-a-
- Port and Port Numbers
- Port Arthur
