View source for Diorite

{{Short description|Igneous rock type}}
{{About||the community in the United States|Diorite, Michigan|the nuclear research reactor in Switzerland|DIORIT}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2021}}
[[File:Diorite2.tif|thumb|Diorite]]
[[File:Diorite orbiculaire-5729~2016 11 03.jpg|thumb|Orbicular diorite from Corsica ([[corsite]])]]
[[File:Dioritoid qapf.png|thumb|upright=1.7|[[QAPF diagram]] with dioritoid fields highlighted in yellow and diorite in red]]
[[File:Mineralogy igneous rocks EN.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Mineral assemblage of igneous rocks]]

'''Diorite''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|aɪ|.|ə|r|aɪ|t}} {{respell|DY|ə|ryte}}){{refn|{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/diorite |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182638/https://www.lexico.com/definition/diorite |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=diorite |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}} }}{{refn|{{cite Merriam-Webster|diorite|access-date=2016-01-21}}}} is an [[intrusive rock|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 metal]]s. It is [[Intermediate composition|intermediate]] in composition between low-silica ([[mafic]]) [[gabbro]] and high-silica ([[felsic]]) [[granite]].

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

Diorite has been used since prehistoric times as decorative stone. It was used by the [[Akkadian Empire]] of [[Sargon of Akkad]] for funerary sculptures, and by many later civilizations for sculptures and building stone.

==Description==

Diorite is an [[intrusive rock|intrusive]] [[igneous rock]] composed principally of the [[silicate mineral]]s [[plagioclase]] [[feldspar]] (typically [[andesine]]), [[biotite]], [[hornblende]], and sometimes [[pyroxene]]. The [[chemical composition]] of diorite is [[Intermediate composition|intermediate]], between that of [[mafic]] [[gabbro]] and [[felsic]] [[granite]].<ref name=BlattTracy1996>{{cite book |last1=Blatt |first1=Harvey |last2=Tracy |first2=Robert J. |title=Petrology: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. |date=1996 |publisher=W.H. Freeman |location=New York |isbn=0-7167-2438-3 |edition=2nd |pages=48, 53–55}}</ref><ref name=Jackson1997>{{cite book |editor1-last=Jackson |editor1-first=Julia A. |title=Glossary of geology. |date=1997 |publisher=American Geological Institute |location=Alexandria, Virginia |isbn=0-922152-34-9 |edition=Fourth |chapter=diorite}}</ref> It is distinguished from gabbro on the basis of the composition of the plagioclase species; the plagioclase in diorite is richer in [[sodium]] and poorer in [[calcium]].<ref name="lebas-streckeisen-1991">{{Cite journal |last1=Le Bas |first1=M. J. |last2=Streckeisen |first2=A. L. |title=The IUGS systematics of igneous rocks |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |volume=148 |issue=5 |pages=825–833 |doi=10.1144/gsjgs.148.5.0825 |bibcode=1991JGSoc.148..825L |year=1991 |citeseerx=10.1.1.692.4446 |s2cid=28548230}}</ref><ref name="bgs">{{Cite journal |date=1999 |title=Rock Classification Scheme – Vol 1 – Igneous |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/3223/1/RR99006.pdf |journal=British Geological Survey: Rock Classification Scheme |volume=1 |pages=1–52}}</ref><ref name=PhilpottsAgue2009>{{cite book |last1=Philpotts |first1=Anthony R. |last2=Ague |first2=Jay J. |title=Principles of igneous and metamorphic petrology |date=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=978-0-521-88006-0 |edition=2nd |pages=139–143}}</ref>

{{anchor|Dioritoid}}
Geologists use rigorous quantitative definitions to classify coarse-grained igneous rocks, based on the mineral content of the rock. For igneous rocks composed mostly of silicate minerals, and in which at least 10% of the mineral content consists of [[quartz]], feldspar, or [[feldspathoid]] minerals, classification begins with the [[QAPF diagram]]. The relative abundances of quartz (Q), [[alkali feldspar]] (A), plagioclase (P), and feldspathoid (F), are used to plot the position of the rock on the diagram.<ref name="lebas-streckeisen-1991"/><ref name="bgs"/><ref name=PhilpottsAgue2009/> The rock will be classified as either a '''dioritoid''' or a [[gabbroid]] if quartz makes up less than 20% of the QAPF content, feldspathoid makes up less than 10% of the QAPF content, and plagioclase makes up more than 65% of the total feldspar content. Dioritoids are distinguished from gabbroids by an [[anorthite]] (calcium plagioclase) fraction of their total plagioclase of less than 50%.{{sfn|Jackson|1997|loc="dioritoid"}}

The composition of the plagioclase cannot easily be determined [[Field work|in the field]], and then a preliminary distinction is made between dioritoid and gabbroid based on the content of mafic minerals. A dioritoid typically has less than 35% mafic minerals, typically including hornblende, while a gabbroid typically has over 35% mafic minerals, mostly pyroxenes or olivine.{{sfn|Blatt|Tracy|1996|p=71}} The name ''diorite'' (from [[Ancient Greek]] {{Lang|grc|διορίζειν|italic=no}}, "to distinguish") was first applied to the rock by [[René Just Haüy]]<ref>{{oed|diorite}}</ref> on account of its characteristic, easily identifiable large crystals of hornblende.<ref name=Jackson1997/>

Dioritoids form a family of rock types similar to diorite, such as [[monzodiorite]], [[quartz diorite]], or [[nepheline-bearing diorite]]. Diorite itself is more narrowly defined, as a dioritoid in which quartz makes up less than 5% of the QAPF content, feldspathoids are not present, and plagioclase makes up more than 90% of the feldspar content.{{sfn|Jackson|1997|loc="gabbro"}}<ref name="lebas-streckeisen-1991"/><ref name="bgs"/>

Diorite may contain small amounts of quartz, [[microcline]], and [[olivine]]. [[Zircon]], [[apatite]], [[titanite]], [[magnetite]], [[ilmenite]], and [[sulfide mineral|sulfides]] occur as accessory minerals.{{sfn|Blatt|Tracy|1996|p=53}} Varieties deficient in hornblende and other dark minerals are called ''leucodiorite''.<ref name="bgs"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Selbekk |first1=R. S. |last2=Skjerlie |first2=K. P. |last3=Pedersen |first3=R. B. |title=Generation of anorthositic magma by H 2 O-fluxed anatexis of silica-undersaturated gabbro: an example from the north Norwegian Caledonides |journal=Geological Magazine |date=November 2000 |volume=137 |issue=6 |pages=609–621 |doi=10.1017/S0016756800004829|bibcode=2000GeoM..137..609S |s2cid=129501077 }}</ref> A ''ferrodiorite'' is a dioritoid enriched in [[iron]]{{sfn|Jackson|1997|loc=ferrodiorite}} and [[titanium]]. Ferrodiorites are common in the [[lower oceanic crust]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brunelli |first1=Daniele |last2=Sanfilippo |first2=Alessio |last3=Bonatti |first3=Enrico |last4=Skolotnev |first4=Sergei |last5=Escartin |first5=Javier |last6=Ligi |first6=Marco |last7=Ballabio |first7=Giorgia |last8=Cipriani |first8=Anna |title=Origin of oceanic ferrodiorites by injection of nelsonitic melts in gabbros at the Vema Lithospheric Section, Mid Atlantic Ridge |journal=Lithos |date=September 2020 |volume=368-369 |article-number=105589 |doi=10.1016/j.lithos.2020.105589|bibcode=2020Litho.36805589B |s2cid=219741493 |doi-access=free |hdl=11380/1227319 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

Coarse-grained ([[phanerite|phaneritic]]) dioritoids are produced by slow crystallization of [[magma]] having the same composition as the [[lava]] that solidifies rapidly to form fine-grained ([[aphanitic]]) [[andesite]].<ref name="lebas-streckeisen-1991"/><ref name="bgs"/> Rock of similar composition to diorite or andesite but with an intermediate texture is sometimes called ''microdiorite''.<ref name=Allaby2013>{{cite book |last1=Allaby |first1=Michael |title=A dictionary of geology and earth sciences |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-965306-5 |edition=Fourth}}</ref> Diorite is occasionally [[porphyritic]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cao |first1=Kang |last2=Yang |first2=Zhi-Ming |last3=White |first3=Noel C. |last4=Hou |first4=Zeng-Qian |title=Generation of the Giant Porphyry Cu-Au Deposit by Repeated Recharge of Mafic Magmas at Pulang in Eastern Tibet |journal=Economic Geology |date=1 January 2022 |volume=117 |issue=1 |pages=57–90 |doi=10.5382/econgeo.4860|bibcode=2022EcGeo.117...57C |s2cid=240591656 }}</ref> It usually contains enough mafic minerals to be dark in appearance.<ref name=KleinHurlbut1993>{{cite book |last1=Klein |first1=Cornelis |last2=Hurlbut |first2=Cornelius S. Jr. |title=Manual of mineralogy: (after James D. Dana) |date=1993 |publisher=Wiley |location=New York |isbn=0-471-57452-X |edition=21st}}</ref> ''Orbicular diorite'' shows alternating concentric growth bands of plagioclase and [[amphibole]] surrounding a nucleus, within a diorite [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyry]] [[matrix (geology)|matrix]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zeming |first1=Zhang |last2=Hua |first2=Xiang |last3=Huixia |first3=Ding |last4=Xin |first4=Dong |last5=Zhengbin |first5=Gou |last6=Zhulin |first6=Tian |last7=Santosh |first7=M. |title=Miocene orbicular diorite in east-central Himalaya: Anatexis, melt mixing, and fractional crystallization of the Greater Himalayan Sequence |journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin |date=July 2017 |volume=129 |issue=7–8 |pages=869–885 |doi=10.1130/B31586.1|bibcode=2017GSAB..129..869Z }}</ref>

==Occurrence==

[[File:Horndio.jpg|thumb|Hornblende diorite from the Henry Mountains, Utah, US]]
Diorite results from the [[partial melting]] of a mafic rock above a [[subduction zone]]. It is found in [[volcanic arc]]s, and in cordilleran [[orogeny|mountain building]], such as in the [[Andes Mountains]]. However, while its [[extrusive rock|extrusive]] [[volcanic]] equivalent, andesite, is common in these settings, diorite is a minor component of the plutonic rocks, which are mostly [[granodiorite]] or granite.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=378}} Diorite also makes up some [[Stock (geology)|stock]]s intruded beneath large [[caldera]]s.{{sfn|Philpotts|Ague|2009|p=99}}

<!-- This paragraph is not an exhaustive list of occurrences, nor should it be. Do not add other occurrences without citing sources that establish notability of that occurrence. -->
Diorite source localities include [[Leicestershire]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Boynton |first1=Helen |title=Update on Charnian Fossils |journal=Mercian Geologist |volume=17 |number=1 |year=2008 |page=52 |url=http://www.emgs.org.uk/files/mercian_vol13on/Mercian%20Geologist%20volume%2017%202008-2011/Mercian%202008%20v17%20p051%20Charnian%20fossils,%20Boynton.pdf |access-date=30 December 2021}}</ref> and [[Aberdeenshire]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rice |first1=C. M. |last2=Ashcroft |first2=W. A. |title=The geology of the northern half of the Rhynie Basin, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences |date=December 2003 |volume=94 |issue=4 |pages=299–308 |doi=10.1017/S0263593300000705|s2cid=129097226 }}</ref> [[UK]]; [[Thuringia]] and [[Saxony]] in Germany;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zeh |first1=A. |last2=Will |first2=T.M. |year=2010 |chapter=The mid-German crystalline zone |title=Pre-Mesozoic Geology of Saxo-Thuringia—From the Cadomian Active Margin to the Variscan Orogen |publisher=Schweizerbart |location=Stuttgart |pages=195–220 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234630717 |access-date=30 December 2021}}</ref> Finland;<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Käpyaho |first1=A. |year=2006 |title=Whole-rock geochemistry of some tonalite and high Mg/Fe gabbro, diorite, and granodiorite plutons (sanukitoid suites) in the Kuhmo district, eastern Finland |journal=Bulletin of the Geological Society of Finland |volume=78 |number=1–2 |pages=121–141 |doi=10.17741/bgsf/78.2.002 |citeseerx=10.1.1.535.8890 }}</ref> Romania;<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bonin |first1=Bernard |last2=Tatu |first2=Mihai |title=Cl-rich hydrous mafic mineral assemblages in the Highiș massif, Apuseni Mountains, Romania |journal=Mineralogy and Petrology |date=August 2016 |volume=110 |issue=4 |pages=447–469 |doi=10.1007/s00710-015-0419-x|bibcode=2016MinPe.110..447B |s2cid=130903053 }}</ref> central Sweden;<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johansson |first1=Åke |last2=Hålenius |first2=Ulf |title=Palaeoproterozoic mafic intrusions along the Avesta–Östhammar belt, east-central Sweden: mineralogy, geochemistry, and magmatic evolution |journal=International Geology Review |date=20 January 2013 |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=131–157 |doi=10.1080/00206814.2012.684455|bibcode=2013IGRv...55..131J |s2cid=129191837 }}</ref> southern [[Vancouver Island]] around [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], Canada;<ref>
Muller, J.E. (1980). Geology Victoria Map 1553A. Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada</ref> the [[Darran Range]] of New Zealand;<ref name="DarransNZ">{{cite journal | title=Diorites and associated intrusive and metamorphic rocks of the Darran Complex, Mount Underwood, Milford, southwest New Zealand |author1=A Wandres |author2=SD Weaver |author3=D Shelley |author4=JD Bradshaw  | journal=New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics | year=1998 | volume=41 | issue=1 | pages=1–14 | doi=10.1080/00288306.1998.9514786| doi-access=free }}</ref> the Andes Mountains;<ref name="Andes1991">{{cite book | title=Andean Magmatism and Its Tectonic Setting (Geological Society of America Special Paper 265) | publisher=Geological Society of America |editor-last1=Harmon |editor-first1=R.S. |editor-last2= Rapela |editor-first2=C. W. | year=1991 | location=Boulder, Colorado | pages=7, 35, 101, 180, 182, 186, 268 | isbn=0-8137-2265-9}}</ref> and [[Concordia, Northern Cape|Concordia]] in South Africa.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harlov |first1=Daniel |last2=Ballouard |first2=Christophe |last3=Elburg |first3=Marlina |last4=Knoper |first4=Michael |last5=Wilke |first5=Franziska |last6=Ning |first6=Wen Bin |last7=Andreoli |first7=Marco A.G. |title=Genesis of monazite-rich, orthopyroxene-bearing veins in the Kliphoog area of the Concordia Granite, Springbok, Namaqualand, South Africa: Sources, fluids, and the mobility of actinides and REE |journal=Lithos |date=December 2020 |volume=376-377 |article-number=105762 |doi=10.1016/j.lithos.2020.105762|bibcode=2020Litho.37605762H |s2cid=225003517 }}</ref> Hornblende diorite is a common rock type in the [[Henry Mountains|Henry]], [[Abajo Mountains|Abajo]], and [[La Sal Mountains]] of [[Utah]], US, where it was emplaced as [[laccolith]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fillmore |first1=Robert |title=Geological evolution of the Colorado Plateau of eastern Utah and western Colorado, including the San Juan River, Natural Bridges, Canyonlands, Arches, and the Book Cliffs |date=2010 |publisher=University of Utah Press |location=Salt Lake City |isbn=978-1-60781-004-9 |pages=288–295}}</ref>

An [[Orbicular granite|orbicular]] variety found in [[Corsica]] was formerly called ''[[napoleonite|corsite]]''.{{sfn|Jackson|1997|loc=corsite}} An obsolete name for microdiorite, ''markfieldite'', was given by Frederick Henry Hatch in 1909 to exposures near the village of [[Markfield]], England.{{sfn|Jackson|1997|loc=markfieldite}} [[Esterellite]] is a local name for microdiorite given by [[Auguste Michel-Lévy]] to exposures in the Esterel Massif in France.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Michel-Lévy |first=Auguste |date=1896 |title=Sur quelques particularités de gisement du porphyre bleu de l'Esterel |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/100438 |url-status=live |journal=Bulletin de la Société géologique de France |series=3 |location=Paris |publisher=Société géologique de France. |volume=24 |pages=123–139 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731082936/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/100438 |archive-date=2024-07-31 |access-date=2024-07-31}}</ref>

==Use==
Human use of diorite dates at least to the [[Middle Neolithic]], when it was used in a [[passage grave]] at Le Dolmen du Mont Ubé, [[Jersey]]. The use of stone of contrasting colour suggests that diorite was deliberately selected for its appearance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bukach |first1=David |title=Exploring Identity and Place: An Analysis of the Provenance of Passage Grave Stones on Guernsey and Jersey in the Middle Neolithic |journal=Oxford Journal of Archaeology |date=February 2003 |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=23–33 |doi=10.1111/1468-0092.00002}}</ref>

The first great [[Mesopotamia]]n empire, the [[Akkadian Empire]] of [[Sargon of Akkad]], began using diorite for sculpture after sources of the rock came under Akkadian control. Diorite was used to depict rulers or high officials in ceremonial poses or attitudes of prayer, and the sculptures may have been designed to receive funerary offerings.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Foster |first1=Benjamin R. |title=Age of Agade |date=2015 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |isbn=978-1-317-41552-7 |pages=9, 119}}</ref> Diorite was also used for stone vases by [[Bronze Age]] craftspeople, who developed considerable skill at polishing diorite and other stones.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Procopiou |first1=H. |last2=Morero |first2=E. |last3=Vargiolu |first3=R. |last4=Suarez-Sanabria |first4=M. |last5=Zahouani |first5=H. |title=Tactile and visual perception during polishing: An ethnoarchaeological study in India (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu) |journal=Wear |date=April 2013 |volume=301 |issue=1–2 |pages=144–149 |doi=10.1016/j.wear.2012.11.058}}</ref> The Egyptians had become skilled at shaping diorite and other hard stones by 4000 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rapp |first1=George |title=Archaeomineralogy |chapter=Building, Monumental, and Statuary Materials |series=Natural Science in Archaeology |date=2009 |pages=247–280 |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-78594-1_11|isbn=978-3-540-78593-4 }}</ref> A large diorite [[stela]] in the [[Louvre Museum]] dating to 1700 BCE is inscribed with the [[Code of Hammurabi]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coulmas |first1=Florian |title=Linguistic landscape: expanding the scenery |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-0-203-93096-0 |edition=1st}}</ref>

Diorite was used by the [[Inca]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Herring |first1=Adam |title=Shimmering Foundation: The Twelve-Angled Stone of Inca Cusco |journal=Critical Inquiry |date=September 2010 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=60–105 |doi=10.1086/656469|s2cid=162152616 }}</ref> civilization as structural stone. It was used by medieval Islamic builders to construct water fountains in the [[Crimea]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Akchurina-Muftieva |first1=N. |year=2017 |title=The Islamic tradition of building water fountains in the Crimea |journal=Art of the Orient |volume=6 |pages=108–120 |doi=10.15804/aoto201708 |url=http://czasopisma.marszalek.com.pl/images/pliki/aoto/6/aoto608.pdf |access-date=30 December 2021}}</ref> In later times, diorite was commonly used as [[cobblestone]]; today many diorite cobblestone streets can be found in England and Guernsey.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Siddall |first1=R. |last2=Schroder |first2=J.K. |last3=Hamilton |first3=L. |year=2016 |title=Building Birmingham: A tour in three parts of the building stones used in the city centre.; Part 2: Centenary Square to Brindley Place |journal=Urban Geology in the English Midlands |volume=2 |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/%7Eucfbrxs/Homepage/walks/Birmingham2-Brindleyplace.pdf |access-date=31 December 2021}}</ref> Guernsey diorite was used in the steps of [[St. Paul's Cathedral|St Paul's Cathedral]], London.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schofield |first1=John |title=St Paul's Cathedral: archaeology and history |date=2016 |location=Philadelphia |publisher=Oxbow Books |isbn=978-1-78570-278-5 |page=36}}</ref>

Today, diorite is uncommon in construction, although it shares similar physical properties with granite. Diorite is often sold commercially as "black granite".<ref>{{Cite web |title=diorite {{!}} rock {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/diorite |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010174007/https://www.britannica.com/science/diorite |archive-date=Oct 10, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-13 |url-status=live |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Diorite's modern uses include [[construction aggregate]], curbing, usage as [[dimension stone]]s, cobblestone, and facing stones.

<gallery widths="170" heights="170">
File:Jar with Lug Handles LACMA M.71.73.54.jpg|[[Naqada II]] jar with lug handles; {{Circa| 3500–3050 BC}}; height: {{Convert|13|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us|sigfig=1}}; [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]] (US)
File:Gudea of Lagash Girsu.jpg|''[[Statues of Gudea|Statue of Gudea I]]'', dedicated to the god [[Ningishzida]]; 2120&nbsp;BC (the [[Neo-Sumerian]] period); height: {{Convert|46|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us|sigfig=1}}, width: {{Convert|33|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us|sigfig=1}}, depth: {{Convert|22.5|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}; [[Louvre]]
File:Weight Shulgi Louvre AO22187.jpg|Weight dedicated by King [[Shulgi]] of [[Ur]] with a crescent moon on it; 2094-2047 BC; weight: 248 g; Louvre
File:Head of a bearded god wearing a cap with horns dedicated by Puzur-Eshtar of Mari.jpg|[[Assyria]]n head of a bearded god wearing a cap with horns dedicated by Puzur-Eshtar of [[Mari, Syria|Mari]]; middle [[Bronze Age]]; height: {{Convert|37|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}; {{Lang|de|[[Vorderasiatisches Museum]]|italic=no}} ([[Berlin]], Germany)
File:Head of a Cow Goddess (Hathor or Mehetweret) MET DP311571.jpg|Head of a cow goddess ([[Hathor]] or [[Mehetweret|Mehet-Weret]]); 1390-1352 BC; height: {{Convert|53.6|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}, width: {{Convert|28|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}, depth: {{Convert|33|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}; [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)
File:Paris - Toutânkhamon, le Trésor du Pharaon - Amon protégeant Toutânkhamon - 005.jpg|Statue of [[Amun]]; 1336-1327 BC; height: {{Convert|220|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}, width: 44{{Clarify|reason=cm?|date=November 2022}}, length: {{Convert|78|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}; Louvre
File:Block Statue of the God's Father Pameniuwedja, son of Nesmin and Nestefnut MET 07.228.25 EGDP023155.jpg|Block statue of the god's father Pameniuwedja, son of Nesmin and Nestefnut; 4th century BC; height: {{Convert|34.6|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}, width: {{Convert|14.5|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}, depth: {{Convert|19.1|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}; Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:Pair of vases MET DT4387.jpg|Vase with [[gilt bronze]] ornaments; {{Circa|1780}}; {{Convert|61 × 40.6|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}; Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:Palazzo delle Poste di Napoli - ingresso.jpg|{{lang|it|[[Palazzo delle Poste, Naples|Palazzo delle Poste]]|italic=no}}, Naples, Italy, Gino Franzi, 1936. [[modern architecture|Modernism]], constructed with [[marble]] and diorite.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of rock types]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Diorite}}
{{Wiktionary|diorite}}

{{igneous rocks}}
{{Rock type}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Granitic rocks]]
[[Category:Intermediate rocks]]
[[Category:Plutonic rocks]]