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Granite is the most abundant rock in the continental crust of the Earth. It is exposed in cores of many mountain ranges in large areas known as batholiths and in core areas of continents known as shields.
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The mineral crystals show that it cooled slowly from molten rock material, occurring beneath the Earth's surface, and requiring a long period of time.
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If granite is exposed at the Earth's surface, it occurred because the granite rocks were uplifted and the overlying sedimentary rocks were eroded.
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Beneath sedimentary rocks, granites, metamorphosed granites, or related rocks are usually beneath this cover. They are then known as basement rocks.
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The definitions used for granite often lead to communication about the rock and sometimes causes confusion. There are multiple definitions sometimes used. There are actually three ways granite is defined.
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In a simple course about rocks, granite may be defined as a coarse-grained, light igneous rock composed mainly of feldspars and quartz, along with mica and amphibole minerals.
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A rock specialist will identify the exact composition of the rock, and many of the experts will not use granite to describe the rock unless it meets a certain percentage of minerals. They may call it an alkali granite, granodiorite, pegmatite, or aplite.
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The commercial definition used by sellers and buyers usually call rocks with visible grains that are harder than marble as granite. They may call gabbro, basalt, pegmatite, gneiss, and many other rocks granite.
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Granite's fame comes from many world-famous natural exposures including Stone Mountain, Georgia; Yosemite Valley, California; Pike's Peak, Colorado; and White Mountains, New Hampshire.
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Granite is often defined as a "dimension stone" that can be cut into specific lengths, widths, and thicknesses.
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Granite is tough enough to resist most abrasion, bear large weights, resist weathering, and can accept polish. It is a very desirable and useful stone.
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Most granite in the United States comes from Idaho, New Hampshire, Georgia, Massachusetts, and South Dakota.
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Granite has been used for thousands of years, in outside and inside environments as building material, bridges, paving, monuments, granite slabs, tiles, countertops, and many other places. In addition, it may be used as crushed stone in road construction.
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Granite's cost is much higher than in price than other man-made materials for projects, but it is considered a prestige material, used to impress others because of its elegance, durability, and quality.
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