Diorite is found across the world in many continental areas. Some notable locations include:
- The Andes Mountains in South America. Diorite intrusions are common in the central and southern parts of the Andes. The rock forms parts of the Andean batholiths that developed as a result of subduction along the western edge of the South American tectonic plate.
- Scotland. The country's famous "Grey Granite" used extensively as a building stone is technically a diorite. Examples can be seen in places like Aberdeen.
- Sri Lanka. The precambrian rocks that make up much of the island include diorite. High grade metamorphic rocks derived from diorite are also present.
- Norway. Diorite intrusions occur in many parts of Norway as part of the bedrock geology. The coastal cliffs near Bergen and the Oslo Rift region contain outcrops of diorite.
- Western North America. Diorite plutons dating back to the Triassic and Jurassic periods are found throughout the mountains ranges of California, Nevada, Idaho and other parts of the region. Yosemite National Park has excellent examples of diorite intrusions.
- Romania. Diorite forms part of the bedrock in the Southern Carpathians. It was commonly used as a construction material in places like Bucharest.
- Egypt and Sudan. Diorite artifacts and stone vessels dating to ancient Egyptian times indicate the rock was quarried in the Eastern Desert and Red Sea Hills.
- Antarctica. Diorite makes up some of the glaciated outcrops along the Transantarctic Mountains. The Byrd Glacier region exposes intrusions of Jurassic-age diorite.
- Australia. Small diorite plutons are found in parts of the Pilbara Craton and Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. The rock also occurs across central and eastern Australia.
In many areas, diorite forms as clusters of plutons or batholiths clustering together. It represents the roots of ancient volcanoes where magma collected and slowly crystallized at depth. So if you find diorite on the surface, it means uplift and erosion have exposed these former plutons that were emplaced deep underground. Overall, diorite can be found on every continent and serves as an important piece of the crustal geology worldwide.
