The natural history and usage of granite

That granite counter found in your kitchen may be a new addition, but granite as a material has been around for centuries. In fact, granite slabs have been around for millennia. Granite slabs were used in the some of the most famous ancient Egyptian pyramids, such as the Red Pyramid, the Black Pyramid, the Great Pyramid of Giza and Menkaure’s Pyramid.

People used granite slabs in ancient times for the same reasons granite countertop installation is so popular today. Granite is an extremely durable material that is perfect for doing work on, including preparing food. That is why a granite counter can last so long in a modern home. Granite slabs are also widely used for dimension stones, wall foundations, flooring tiles, and curling rocks. Since granite is one of the hardest and most dense rocks known to man, granite is making a name for itself in architectural design. Designers use granite slabs in residential, commercial and industrial constructions because of their high durability and aesthetic characteristics.

Granite slabs are installed by men, but they are not manmade; they are igneous rocks formed in the Earth out of magma. Since granite slabs are volcanic rocks, they are known to be one of the hardest and densest rocks in the world. Granite slabs come into being as a result of extreme heat and pressure applied to the surface.

While every granite counter looks different from the next, granite slabs also have different scientific classifications. There is the I-type, which is igneous protolith granite , and the S-type, which is sedimentary protolith granite . Both classifications are a result of the melting of optimum grade metamorphic rocks, including some other granite rocks, or longtime buried sediments. This is not the end of the mysterious scientific nature of granite slabs, though.

Over time, other classifications of granite have been added, one of which is the M-type, which is mantle-derived granite . These granite slabs are sourced out from mafic magmas stored in the Earth’s mantle. Mantle-derived granite slabs have already been crystallized. This type of granite is also rare, since the fractional crystallization of basalt into granite form to difficult to materialize.

The last type of granite slabs are the A-type, or anorogenic granite , which is created out of hot spot activities. Conditions which are too dry in the lower crust of the Earth prompt the formation of these granite slabs. Scientists admit that this granite classification contains an extraordinary root of mineralogy and geochemistries, making a granite counter a mysterious and beautiful thing.