Is Granite Made From Interlocking Crystals

These include counter tops floor tiles paving stone curbing stair treads building veneer and cemetery monuments.

Is granite made from interlocking crystals.

Barry marsh school of ocean and earth science university of southampton. Granite is the best known igneous rock. Granite has large crystals. However in the dimension stone trade the word granite is used for any feldspar bearing rock with interlocking crystals that are large enough to be seen with the unaided eye.

A geologist might define granite as a coarse grained quartz and feldspar bearing igneous rock that is made up entirely of crystals. Pegmatite is an intrusive igneous rock made up of large interlocking crystals the word pegmatite comes from the greek word pegnymi which means to bind together referring to the entwined feldspar and quartz crystals commonly found in the rock. Unfortunately most of the crystals in a granite form anhedral crystals or crystals that lack their outward crystal shape. Granite is also a source of many mineral specimens.

Many people recognize granite because it is the most common igneous rock found at earth s surface and because granite is used to make many objects that we encounter in daily life. This is because of the interlocking crystals that make up the rock allowing almost no water. The size of the crystals depends on how quickly the molten magma solidified. It has more light coloured crystals than dark usually of white or pink feldspar glassy quartz and shiny mica.

It has more light coloured crystals than dark usually of white or pink feldspar glassy quartz and shiny mica. This is due to the way that the crystals grow into each other to form interlocking crystal frameworks. Visit the geology rocks homepage download the free geology rocks podcast from itunes. Granite is made of coarse grained 5mm or so interlocking crystals.

Granite is composed of interlocking mineral crystals of quartz micas and feldspars mainly. A pegmatite is an igneous rock formed underground with interlocking crystals usually larger than 2 5 cm in size 1 in most pegmatites are found in sheets of rock dikes and veins near large masses of igneous rocks called batholiths the word pegmatite derives from homeric greek πήγνυμι pegnymi which means to bind together in reference to the intertwined crystals of quartz. Granite is made of coarse grained 5mm or so interlocking crystals.