Granites

Granite is the most widespread of igneous rocks, underlying much of the continental crust. Intrusive rocks form from molten material (magma) that flows and solidifies underground, where magma cools slowly. Eventually, the overlying rocks are removed, exposing the granite. Granites usually have a coarse texture(individual minerals are visible without magnificiation), because the magma cools slowly underground, allowing larger crystal growth.

Granites are most easily characterized as light colored and coarse grained as a result of cooling slowly below the surface. Color variation is a response to the percent of each mineral found in the sample. The crystals in granite provide a variety of mixed colors — feldspar (pink or red), mica (dark brown or black), quartz (clear pink, white, or black) and amphibole (black).

Granite is high in quartz (about 25%), feldspar, and mica. It is widely used for architectural facades, construction materials, ornamental stone and monuments. Over 40% of dimension stone quarried is granite. Crushed granite is used as a durable construction material in asphalt and concrete used in highway and infrastructure projects.