Wha Rock Is Granite

Learn more about the properties and uses of granite in this article.

Wha rock is granite.

Granite ˈ ɡ r æ n ɪ t is a common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock that is granular and phaneritic in texture. Sedimentary rocks and granite which are rich in quartz and feldspar tend to be less dense than volcanic rocks. Heavy particles such as gold are likely to accumulate against the harder rock while the. Plymouth rock granite slab upon which according to tradition the pilgrim fathers stepped first after disembarking from the mayflower on december 26 1620 at what became the colony of new plymouth the first permanent european settlement in new england the rock now much reduced from its original size rests on the coast of plymouth bay an inlet of the atlantic ocean in plymouth.

Trapp trap is also used to refer to flood plateau basalts e g. Rock density is very sensitive to the minerals that compose a particular rock type. Granite coarse or medium grained intrusive igneous rock that is rich in quartz and feldspar. Granites can be predominantly white pink or gray in color depending on their mineralogy the word granite comes from the latin granum a grain in reference to the coarse grained structure of such a completely crystalline rock.

Granite is a light colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. The other rocky planets mercury venus and mars are covered with basalt as is the ocean floor of earth but only earth has this beautiful and interesting rock type in abundance. Trap rock also known as either trapp or trap is any dark colored fine grained non granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock types of trap rock include basalt peridotite diabase and gabbro. Strictly speaking granite is an.

Generally the slower the molten rock cooled the larger. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below earth s surface. The final layer of a gravel driveway consists of smaller gravel blended with coarse rock dust known as fines crushed stone 411 which is a mixture of 57 stone and coarse rock dust is a. More than that granite is the signature rock of the planet earth itself.

Intrusive rock is typically very hard and erodes slowly. Formally granite is a plutonic rock that is composed of between 10 to 50 quartz typically semi transparent white and 65 to 90 total feldspar typically a pinkish or white hue. Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica amphiboles and other minerals this mineral composition usually gives granite a red pink gray or white color with dark mineral. And if you know your igneous petrology you will see that the more mafic rich in magnesium and iron a rock is the greater its density.

It is the most common plutonic rock of the earth s crust forming by the cooling of magma silicate melt at depth. Granite is the signature rock of the continents. The erosion of trap rock created by the stacking of successive lava flows often created a. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which means it was formed in place during the cooling of molten rock.