Why Does Granite Form The Way It Does

Students of granites classify them in three or four categories.

Why does granite form the way it does.

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which means it was formed in place during the cooling of molten rock generally the slower the molten rock cooled the larger it s mineral crystals with k feldspar megacrysts forming in special circumstances greater than 5cm. Granite sealers help prevent staining but will not fix your gritty granite countertops. To understand their differences and why they re stylistically different we ll trace them back to how their produced. Why does granite form.

Hire a licensed granite countertop installation contractor. Obsidian and granite are igneous rocks so called because they were formed from the molten magma of volcanoes. Granite forms from the slow crystallization of magma below earth s surface. Because it remains beneath the surface as it is cooling it forms large crystals ie you can see the.

This would allow granite to form without melting pushing or exploding upwards towards the surface. The mineral composition of granite usually gives it. It is composed mainly of natural quartz and feldspar with subtle amounts of mica amphiboles and other organic minerals. Obsidian is not a genuine mineral or rock it is a natural glass that contains microscopic mineral crystals.

Granite is formed within the crust of the earth when felsic magma that is magma that is rich in silica cools down without reaching the surface. Beyond that their similarities end. M type mantle granites are rarer and are thought to have evolved directly from deeper melts in the mantle. Pegmatite is an igneous rock composed almost entirely of crystals that are over one centimeter in diameter.

It s largely believed that large slabs of granite form as a result of the continents stretching apart during plate tectonics. This is due to the way that the crystals grow into each other to form interlocking crystal frameworks. It s a grainy stone made from large minerals that fit tightly together. What granite means.

In short your granite kitchen countertops were molten lava at one point. How does granite form. The specimen shown here is about two inches five centimeters across. Unfortunately most of the crystals in a granite form anhedral crystals or crystals that lack their outward crystal shape.

No matter how much you try to wipe away the grit on the surface of your granite countertops the surface will never be smooth. Push for complete replacement if possible. The traits of granite countertops. I type igneous granites appear to arise from the melting of preexisting igneous rocks s type sedimentary granites from melted sedimentary rocks or their metamorphic equivalents in both cases.

Specimen is about 4 5 x 3 5 x 3 5 centimeters.