Granite…..everyone can see how beautiful granite is. You see it on buildings, floors and in more recent times in our kitchens and bathrooms. Have you ever wondered how granite is made? Where it actually comes from?
Granite is a light-colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below Earth’s surface. 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 grains visible throughout the rock. IT TAKES MILLIONS OF YEARS TO FORM! HOW COOL IS THAT?!? AND…..Earth is the only place found, so far, in our solar system where there is granite.
Granite is a common stone on Earth, and makes up a big part of the crust (the Earth’s outer layer). It is usually found in the continental plates of the Earth’s crust. Although it forms under the surface of the Earth, there are many places where it has been forced upwards by tectonic movement. When plates in the Earth’s crust move together, they get bent and pushed upwards. When this happens, granite mountains can be formed.
Granite cliffs in Yosemite, California
So..next time you see granite, think about how it formed and the MILLIONS of years it took for it to form! Makes you appreciate it even more.
Interested in learning more about granite? Check out this INFORMATIONAL GUIDE!