This Specimen has been sold.
5.1" Polished Porphyry Stone Slab - Western Australia
This is a 5.1" wide slab of porphyry, collected near the town of Cue in Western Australia. It has been cut flat into a slab and polished to a glossy-finish on one side. It displays nicely on the included display stand.
About Porphyry
Porphyry is not a mineral but rather a type of igneous rock characterized by a distinct texture. It features large, well-formed crystals—typically of quartz, feldspar, or other minerals—embedded in a fine-grained or glassy matrix. This two-stage cooling process, where magma cools slowly underground before erupting and cooling rapidly at the surface, gives porphyry its signature "spotted" or "salt-and-pepper" appearance.
Porphyry rocks are geologically significant, especially as hosts for major ore deposits. Copper, molybdenum, and gold are often mined from porphyry deposits, which form when mineral-rich fluids concentrate in fractures around large igneous intrusions. These deposits are among the most important sources of these metals worldwide. Historically, porphyry with a rich purple hue was prized by ancient civilizations for use in sculpture and imperial architecture, particularly in Egypt and Rome.
Porphyry is not a mineral but rather a type of igneous rock characterized by a distinct texture. It features large, well-formed crystals—typically of quartz, feldspar, or other minerals—embedded in a fine-grained or glassy matrix. This two-stage cooling process, where magma cools slowly underground before erupting and cooling rapidly at the surface, gives porphyry its signature "spotted" or "salt-and-pepper" appearance.
Porphyry rocks are geologically significant, especially as hosts for major ore deposits. Copper, molybdenum, and gold are often mined from porphyry deposits, which form when mineral-rich fluids concentrate in fractures around large igneous intrusions. These deposits are among the most important sources of these metals worldwide. Historically, porphyry with a rich purple hue was prized by ancient civilizations for use in sculpture and imperial architecture, particularly in Egypt and Rome.
SPECIES
Clinozoisite & Colerite
LOCATION
Mindoolah, near Cue, Western Australia
SIZE
5.1 x 3", .65" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#239745
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