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Diorite vs Gabbro - What's the difference?

diorite | gabbro |

In lang=en terms the difference between diorite and gabbro

is that diorite is a grey intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of plagioclase feldspar, biotite, hornblende and/or pyroxene while gabbro is a name originally given to a kind of serpentine, and now generally used for a coarsely crystalline, igneous rock consisting of lamellar pyroxene and labradorite.

diorite

English

(wikipedia diorite)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (rock) A grey intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of plagioclase feldspar, biotite, hornblende and/or pyroxene.

    • Derived terms

    * dioritic * granodiorite * microdiorite

    gabbro

    English

    (wikipedia gabbro)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (rock) A name originally given to a kind of serpentine, and now generally used for a coarsely crystalline, igneous rock consisting of lamellar pyroxene and labradorite.
  • * 2004 , (Richard Fortey), The Earth , Folio Society 2011, p. 59:
    • It is known as gabbro and is thought to form the lower layer of the oceanic crust at about four kilometres depth and to comprise a layer up to six kilometres thick, making it one of the most abundant, if least recognisable, materials on earth.

    Derived terms

    * gabbroid * gabbroic