Granite

If a piece of granite is crushed to powder, one could easily pick out the tiny fragments of separate substances that compose it, on of the minerals is quartz, which often resembles smoky glass. Another is feldspar, next to quartz the most common mineral in sandy sediments. Mica, whose thin flat prarticles reflect light like tiny mirrors, is also present.

The color of granite depends on the proportions and varieties of the minerals in it. Although the prevailing colors are: Grays, greens, reds; many other colors can be found which is determined by the different kinds of feldspar present.

Granite is the most common igneous rock found in the Earth's crust. It was formed eons ago when magma (molten rock) cooled. These cooling processes took place below the Earth's surface and slow enough to permit formation of crystals.

Granite is the hardest of the dimensional stones, but because of its hardness it is difficult to work and as a result is more expensive. It is its mineral formation, though, which make it most suitable for uses such as exterior cladding, monuments, and kitchen countertops. Due to it's mineral composition it cannot be affected by acids commonly found in everything from orange juice to common rain the way that marble is. It is very difficult to scratch or chip, it's imperious nature lends itself to application where durability and the look of natural stone is desired.