Diorite in the context of Pluton


Diorite in the context of Pluton

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⭐ Core Definition: Diorite

Diorite (/ˈd.ərt/ DY-ə-ryte) is an intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is intermediate in composition between low-silica (mafic) gabbro and high-silica (felsic) granite.

Diorite is found in mountain-building belts (orogens) on the margins of continents. It has the same composition as the fine-grained volcanic rock, andesite, which is also common in orogens.

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Diorite in the context of Andesite

Andesite (/ˈændəzt/) is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predominantly of sodium-rich plagioclase plus pyroxene or hornblende.

Andesite is the extrusive equivalent of plutonic diorite. Characteristic of subduction zones, andesite represents the dominant rock type in island arcs. The average composition of the continental crust is andesitic. Along with basalts, andesites are a component of the Martian crust.

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Diorite in the context of Calc-alkaline magma series

The calc-alkaline magma series is one of two main subdivisions of the subalkaline magma series, the other subalkaline magma series being the tholeiitic series. A magma series is a series of compositions that describes the evolution of a mafic magma, which is high in magnesium and iron and produces basalt or gabbro, as it fractionally crystallizes to become a felsic magma, which is low in magnesium and iron and produces rhyolite or granite. Calc-alkaline rocks are rich in alkaline earths (magnesia and calcium oxide) and alkali metals and make up a major part of the crust of the continents.

The diverse rock types in the calc-alkaline series include volcanic types such as basalt, andesite, dacite, rhyolite, and also their coarser-grained intrusive equivalents (gabbro, diorite, granodiorite, and granite). They do not include silica-undersaturated, alkalic, or peralkaline rocks.

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Diorite in the context of Granodiorite

Granodiorite (/ˌɡrænˈd.ərt, ˌɡrænəˈ-/ GRAN-oh-DY-ə-ryte, GRAN-ə-) is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar.

The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from granite to diorite, including granodiorite. The term granodiorite was first used by G. F. Becker (1893) to describe granitic rocks in the Sierra Nevada, United States.

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Diorite in the context of Magan (civilization)

Magan (also Majan) was an ancient region in what is now modern day Oman and United Arab Emirates. It was referred to in Sumerian cuneiform texts of around 2300 BCE and existed until 550 BCE as a source of copper and diorite for Mesopotamia. As discussed by The Archeology Fund founded by Juris Zarins, "The Sumerian cities of southern Mesopotamia were closely linked to the Persian Gulf. Archaeologists and historians have linked sites in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar to the Sumerian geographical term of Dilmun. Oman, was most likely the Sumerian Magan".

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Diorite in the context of Subvolcanic rock

A subvolcanic rock, also known as a hypabyssal rock, is an intrusive igneous rock that is emplaced at depths less than 2 km (1.2 mi) within the crust, and has intermediate grain size and often porphyritic texture between that of volcanic rocks, which are extrusive igneous rocks, and plutonic rocks, which form much deeper in the ground. Subvolcanic rocks include diabase (also known as dolerite) and porphyry. Common examples of subvolcanic rocks are diabase, quartz dolerite, microgranite, and diorite.

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Diorite in the context of Phanerite

A phanerite is an igneous rock whose microstructure is made up of crystals large enough to be distinguished with the unaided human eye. In contrast, the crystals in an aphanitic rock are too fine-grained to be identifiable. Phaneritic texture forms when magma deep underground in the plutonic environment cools slowly, giving the crystals time to grow.

Phanerites are often described as coarse-grained or macroscopically crystalline.

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Diorite in the context of Intermediate composition

In igneous petrology, an intermediate composition refers to the chemical composition of a rock that has 51.5–63 wt% SiO2 being an intermediate between felsic and mafic compositions. Typical intermediate rocks include andesite and trachyandesite among volcanic rocks and diorite and granodiorite among plutonic rocks.

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Diorite in the context of Intrusion

In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and compositions, illustrated by examples like the Palisades Sill of New York and New Jersey; the Henry Mountains of Utah; the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa; Shiprock in New Mexico; the Ardnamurchan intrusion in Scotland; and the Sierra Nevada Batholith of California.

Because the solid country rock into which magma intrudes is an excellent insulator, cooling of the magma is extremely slow, and intrusive igneous rock is coarse-grained (phaneritic). Intrusive igneous rocks are classified separately from extrusive igneous rocks, generally on the basis of their mineral content. The relative amounts of quartz, alkali feldspar, plagioclase, and feldspathoid is particularly important in classifying intrusive igneous rocks.

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Diorite in the context of Batholith

A batholith (from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathús), meaning "deep", and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone") is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than 100 km (40 sq mi) in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate rock types, such as granite, quartz monzonite, or diorite (see also granite dome).

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Diorite in the context of Acasta Gneiss

The Acasta Gneiss Complex, also called the Acasta Gneiss, is a body of felsic to ultramafic Archean basement rocks, gneisses, that form the northwestern edge of the Slave Craton in the Northwest Territories, Canada, about 300 km (190 mi) north of Yellowknife, Canada. This geologic complex consists largely of tonalitic and granodioritic gneisses and lesser amounts of mafic and ultramafic gneisses. It underlies and is largely concealed by thin, patchy cover of Quaternary glacial sediments over an area of about 13,000 km (5,000 sq mi). The Acasta Gneiss Complex contains fragments of the oldest known crust and record of more than a billion years (>4.0–2.9 Ga) of magmatism and metamorphism. The Acasta Gneiss Complex is exposed in a set of anticlinoriums within the foreland fold and thrust belt of the Paleoproterozoic Wopmay Orogen.

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Diorite in the context of Corsite

Napoleonite is a variety of diorite (also called corsite because the stone is found in the island of Corsica).

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Diorite in the context of Amenemhat III

Amenemhat III (Ancient Egyptian: Ỉmn-m-hꜣt meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet III, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the sixth king of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. He was elevated to throne as co-regent by his father Senusret III, with whom he shared the throne as the active king for twenty years. During his reign, Egypt attained its cultural and economic zenith of the Middle Kingdom.

The aggressive military and domestic policies of Senusret III, which re-subjugated Nubia and wrested power from the nomarchs, allowed Amenemhat III to inherit a stable and peaceful Egypt. He directed his efforts towards an extensive building program with particular focus on Faiyum. Here he dedicated a temple to Sobek, a chapel to Renenutet, erected two colossal statues of himself in Biahmu, and contributed to excavation of Lake Moeris. He built for himself two pyramids at Dahshur and Hawara, becoming the first pharaoh since Sneferu in the Fourth Dynasty to build more than one. Near to his Hawara pyramid is a pyramid for his daughter Neferuptah. To acquire resources for the building program, Amenemhat III exploited the quarries of Egypt and the Sinai for turquoise and copper. Other exploited sites includes the schist quarries at Wadi Hammamat, amethyst from Wadi el-Hudi, fine limestone from Tura, alabaster from Hatnub, red granite from Aswan, and diorite from Nubia. A large corpus of inscriptions attest to the activities at these sites, particularly at Serabit el-Khadim. There is scant evidence of military expeditions during his reign, though a small one is attested at Kumma in his ninth regnal year. He also sent a handful of expeditions to Punt.

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Diorite in the context of Mina (unit)

The mina /ˈmnə/ (Akkadian: 𒈠𒈾, romanized: manû; Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎐, romanized: mn; Imperial Aramaic: מְנֵא, romanized: mənēʾ; Hebrew: מָנֶה, romanizedmāneh; Classical Syriac: ܡܢܝܐ, romanized: manyāʾ; Ancient Greek: μνᾶ, romanizedmnā; Latin: mina) is an ancient Near Eastern unit of weight for silver or gold, equivalent to approximately 1.25 pounds (0.57 kg), which was divided into 60 shekels. The mina, like the shekel, eventually also became a unit of currency.
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