Granite(Italian granito, from Latin granum - grain). The hardness of granite has become proverbial. This rock is capable of maintaining its strength, functional and decorative characteristics for centuries. Its granular structure provides the necessary density for using the material in the exterior. Such a stone is not afraid of temperature changes, moisture, or mechanical stress. Its palette provides unlimited possibilities for implementing design solutions. If you plan to buy granite, then you need to take into account its weight, which is the only objective disadvantage of this unique rock.
Chemical composition: Granite is an acidic igneous intrusive rock with a crystalline granular structure. The rock is rich in silicic acid, enriched in alkalis, and contains less iron, calcium and magnesium. It consists of feldspars (acidic plagioclase and potassium feldspar) by 60-65%, quartz by 25-35%, and dark-colored minerals (biotite, rarely hornblende) by 5-10%. Thanks to spar, the color of granite is formed, and thanks to quartz, its hardness is formed. The most common color of granite is light gray, but you can also find pink, yellow, red and even green shades of this mineral. In granite, quartz is in the form of glassy and slightly fissured grains. They are most often colorless, but there are rare specimens with a bluish tint, which can affect the overall color of the breed. According to the types of crystal structure, granites are divided into fine-grained (up to 2 mm), medium-grained (25 mm) and coarse-grained (more than 5 mm), with colors ranging from white to gray, pink and red, with characteristic shimmering inclusions. The vast majority of samples are variegated. The shape of the pattern is influenced by both the structure of the stone and the direction that was chosen when sawing the monolith. Fine-grained granites are considered the most durable.
Physical properties: Granite is highly resistant to environmental influences, including precipitation and various acids. Does not affect operational characteristics and freeze-thaw cycles, the number of which can reach several hundred times
Density - 3.17 g/cm3
Volumetric mass (specific gravity) - 2.7 g/cm3
Compressive strength:
In a wet state - 550 kg/cm2,
Dry – 604 kg/cm2
Abrasion - 1.4 g/cm2m
Water absorption - 0.2%;
Strength reduction factor - 0.9
Hardness on the Mohs scale - 6-7
Features of education: The natural stone granite is an apparently crystalline granular massive volcanic rock formed during the process of slow cooling and further solidification of a magmatic melt at great depths. Also, the origin of granite is possible during metamorphism, that is, in the process of formation of granitization of different rocks. At the same time, very often granite massifs are attributed either metamorphic, or igneous, and more often - mixed origin.
Granite mining: The main form of occurrence is batholiths, which are a huge massif with a thickness of up to 4 km and an area of several hectares. Typically, the rock occurs in the form of dikes, stocks and other intrusive bodies. Sometimes it occurs that granitic magma has formed layer-by-layer injections. In this case, granite forms a series of sheet-like bodies that alternate with metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Today there are three main methods - the rock chipping method, the explosion method and the stone cutting method. The last method is the most popular and expensive. It allows you to avoid microcracks and develop deposits rationally. With the stone cutter method, granite is cut into blocks, which are subsequently sawn into slabs. The mining and geological conditions of the occurrence of granites make it possible to extract giant monolithic blocks - with volumes of up to several hundred m3 and weighing thousands of tons, which is impossible for any other types of natural stone. The resulting blocks are hewn into piece stone or used whole in monumental architecture. The stone is distributed on all continents, in almost every country.
Application area: Granite is a material whose use dates back thousands of years. The most famous granite structures that have survived to this day are:
Trilithons of Stonehenge, weighing more than 50 tons (England, III-IV millennium BC),
Obelisk of Hatshepsut, weighing 343 tons and height 28.58 m (Egypt, 15th century BC),
Baalbek trilithon, weighing more than 1000 tons (Syria, 1st – 3rd centuries AD), etc.
Granite products can retain their original shape for many centuries, since the main properties of stone are strength and durability, i.e. the ability to maintain its processing texture and mirror surface for a long time, and also due to the difficult-to-contaminate surface, granite is widely used for external cladding and finishing of buildings and structures (plinth slabs, parapets, balls, etc.) and products for road and street construction (edge stone , paving stones, checkers, curbs, etc., and is also used in places that have high traffic (offices, banks, various public buildings, restaurants, bars, pedestrian crossings, etc.) Granite is a stone that practically does not absorb water. Because of this, it has high frost resistance.Also, due to the fact that these properties of granite have such better quality indicators, it is also perfectly used during the construction of ports and embankments, fountains, columns, etc. In the interior of premises, granite is often used for wall decoration, It is used to make staircase window sills, balusters, urns, vases, cornices, etc. It is also resistant to sudden temperature changes, which allows it to be used for making kitchen countertops and bar counters. Granite is also used to make objects of monumental art - pedestals, columns, pedestals, stylobates, etc.
Granite is a common crystalline rock, deposits of which are located throughout the planet. Translated from Latin, “granite” means “grain,” which characterizes the structure of the stone. This is frozen intrusive magma, which did not have time to rise to the earth's surface, and formed coarse granite crystals.
The main share of the mineral composition of granite in the amount of 60-65% is occupied by feldspars. 25-30% of inclusions are quartz, and a small percentage is allocated to dark-colored minerals - hornblende and biorite.
Granite has high levels of hardness, strength and density. The stone is 2 times stronger than marble, and its density reaches 2600 kg/m³. It is resistant to low temperatures, moisture and dirt. The stone is subject to melting at temperatures from +700°C.
In terms of chemical composition, granite is an acidic rock, the acidity composition of which can be determined by the amount of silicon dioxide. The higher the percentage of silicon dioxide in granite, the lighter the color of the mineral.
Types and colors of granite
The mineral has many varieties that differ in structure, inclusion of dark-colored components and color. Taking into account the textural and structural features of granites, there are:
- porphyritic – with elongated or isometric inclusions of quartz and orthoclase;
- pegmatoid - characterized by uniform grain size and different sizes of inclusions of feldspar and quartz;
- Finnish – characterized by round-shaped inclusions of red orthoclase;
- gneiss-like - a stone of a uniform fine-grained structure with a parallel arrangement of mica flakes;
- muscovite – the composition contains muscovite, quartz and orthoclase.
Based on the inclusion of dark-colored components, alaskites, leucogranites, two-mica, biotite, pyroxene granite, as well as alkaline, lithium-fluoride and hornblende varieties are distinguished.
The natural mineral has a wide variety of colors and shades, and depending on the place of extraction, it is divided into the following main groups:
- Amazonite stones are green in color with bluish tints;
- Leznikov samples are red and pink;
- Sofievsky, Korninsky and Zhezhelevsky minerals have shades of gray and a rare white color.
Mineral deposits
Applications of granite
Artificial granite, its pros and cons
Artificial stone is a composite material that consists of granite chips and polyester resin. It has many positive characteristics characteristic of natural stone. Its advantages include the following properties:
- low thermal conductivity;
- resistance to moisture, temperature changes, rust and household chemicals;
- hygiene due to the absence of micropores;
- easy to process;
- aesthetic appearance with a wide range of colors and shades;
- absence of radioactive background;
But along with the indicated advantages of artificial stone, the existing disadvantages should be identified. The properties of artificial granite lack the natural hardness of the mineral, which indicates its susceptibility to mechanical stress. Despite the fact that artificial stone has an attractive appearance and shine, it feels far from a natural mineral and resembles plastic.
Healing and magical properties of granite
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Biotite - description and properties of the mineral
The use of granite since ancient times has had not only aesthetic value, but also a functional side. Today, the stone is polished, ground, the surface of the processed samples has many names - polished, sawn, bush hammered. For certain purposes, the stone is processed by fire. And all this variety of granite materials serves people conscientiously.
Stone makes the most durable, practical countertops and window sills, which are also quite original due to the texture and color of the mineral. There are even fashion trends associated with cladding with this material. If smooth surfaces were once popular, today textured elements are in use. They stipulated the use of granite as a floor covering to prevent shoes from slipping. Walls with textured designs are also in fashion; this gives the interior a rich look and sets the main tone for the style solution.
It is clear that granite’s properties and areas of application are interconnected. Thus, the hygiene of the stone and its moisture resistance make it possible to create sinks and bathtubs from it. In addition, the mineral has high heat resistance, which is only a plus for the material used for such premises. Stone gives a person comfort and aesthetics in everyday life.
And yet, the main thing for which he has been loved for centuries is his presentability. Majestic staircases, magnificent sculpture, harmonious borders and paving stones, monumental structures made of granite have been created and will continue to be created as long as the mineral is formed in nature, as long as reserves of this unique “eternal” stone allow.
The famous "tabletop" tells his visitors that the mountains of Iran, Turkey and Greece are " marble melted by the bombing of the WCC - a great cosmic civilization".
The photographs of travel to Iran, Turkey and Greece are interesting, but it seems that there are no chemists there.
I, too, respect chemistry from afar, but there are big doubts about “melting the marble mountains.”
But many things are not clear how they are made, leaving them out of brackets melting marble.
# Behistun_Inscription
Silicon lava
Most characteristic of the volcanoes of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is usually very viscous and sometimes freezes in the crater of a volcano even before the end of the eruption, thereby stopping it. A plugged volcano may swell somewhat, and then the eruption resumes, usually with a powerful explosion. The average flow rate of such lava is several meters per day, and the temperature is 800-900 °C. It contains 53-62% silicon dioxide (silica). If its content reaches 65%, then the lava becomes very viscous and slow. The color of hot lava is dark or black-red. Solidified silicon lavas can form black volcanic glass. Such glass is obtained when the melt cools quickly, without having time to
The formation of marble is the result of the so-called process of metamorphism: under the influence of certain physical and chemical conditions, the structure of limestone (sedimentary rock of organic origin) changes, and eventually marble is born.
In construction practice, “marble” refers to metamorphic rocks of medium hardness that accept polishing ( marble, marbled limestone , dense dolomite, carbonate breccias and carbonate conglomerates).
Until now, the word “marble” refers to different rocks that are similar to each other. Builders call any durable, polishable limestone marble. Sometimes a similar rock is mistaken for marble serpentinite. True marble on a light fracture resembles sugar.
About marble mining in Iran - yes, they do mine:
We are pleased to introduce our corporation "Omarani Yazdbaf" - a well-known stone quarrying corporation. Our company mines onyx (light green, white), marble (cream, orange, red, pink, yellow) and travertine (chocolate, brown
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In general, nothing is clear - who climbed the mountain and why they carved out relief in the mountain.
The word granite is of Latin origin. The concept is translated as “granule”. The rock got its name due to its granular structure. Mineral granules in stone can be large or small.
The first option is a consequence of the slow cooling of hot mineral masses under the Earth's surface. The second case, on the contrary, is evidence of rapid rock hardening. It underlies almost all continents, being the most widespread non-metallic matter on the planet.
Physical and chemical properties of granite
The solidity of the rock makes it possible to cut large blocks. Therefore, architects and sculptors often choose stone for large-scale projects, creating, for example, granite monuments. The rock is well polished. It is non-porous, which prevents the material from absorbing moisture and cracking from external influences. Granite does not care about temperature changes. It is also resistant to corrosion.
The physical properties of granite are influenced by its structure. Fine-grained samples are denser. They are easier to polish and more durable. Coarse-grained rock wears out faster. Climbers and rock climbers especially do not like it. They know that the stone granules can be so obvious that their knees and hands bleed. So, knowledgeable people climb granite rocks wearing gloves, knee pads, and special shoes.
The rock composition includes: quartz, orthoclase, mica. Their number ranges from 20 to 70 percent. The remaining percentages include dozens of other minerals. Their selection depends on the place of formation of the stone.
Since granite is an acidic rock, it contains small amounts of cerium, lanthanum and other rare earth elements. All of them do not give radioactive background to granite. The level of radiation is usually negligible and not dangerous to humans. However, to be sure, geologists check the deposits to be developed.
Experts drill holes in the material, lower a dosimeter into them, and give the green light or permission to mine the stone. Regardless of its composition, granite cannot be compressed. This ensures the eternal service of the stone to people, but complicates its processing. Marble, for example, is much more flexible.
Staining and color of granite
Granite stone has different shades. The color is determined by the amount of orthoclase in the rock. This mineral belongs to the category of feldspars. It comes in a variety of colors, but is always found only in acidic igneous rocks.
In accordance with orthoclase, granite is often grayish in tone, less often orangeish, pinkish, reddish, with a hint of blue or green. The final colors are given not by orthoclase, but by biotite and hornblende.
Sometimes quartz also affects the color of granite. Usually, it is colorless, but there is a rock with a pink variety of the mineral. It is called amethyst. It is known as an ornamental stone. There are granites with black quartz and its blue variety. Highest granite price exactly a bluish-gray tone.
Granite deposits
Almost 110 granite deposits are taken into account in Russia. There is also that same blue breed in our country. It is mined in the Murmansk region at the Serebryansky quarry. It is worth noting that 100 deposits are recorded in the country’s reserves.
But dozens more deposits have been explored and are listed on the balance sheet of only regional geological services. So, in fact, Russia’s granite reserves number about 200 deposits. They mainly contain granite of white and reddish tones. The latter is called Ural granite. There is even a brand of the same name. Her specialization is ceramic granite. The company produces tiles on a large scale.
The world leader in the production of granite products is not Russia. Italy has the championship. The deposits are concentrated in Sardinia. This island gives the world a pink, amethyst rock. The same type is mined in Sweden, but on a smaller scale.
Half of the volume of stone on the Eurasian continent is mined by the British. More than a hundred varieties of the breed are available in France. Spain is famous for its light gray fine-grained granite. Finland specializes in the export of granite blocks. This country supplies the world with approximately 80,000 cubic meters of rock per year.
By the way, the third highest mountain in the world is made of granite. The peak is called Kanchenjunga. The height of the mountain is 8586 meters. The peak is located in the Himalayas and is only 262 meters behind Everest.
Applications of granite
Granite is a building material. Buildings made from it do not collapse for thousands of years. Buildings only lined with stone are less durable. Granite is used to make paving slabs, ceramic slabs for floors and interior decoration. The material is considered elite in the world of furniture. The breed is used for tabletops, parts of armchairs, sofas, and bar counters. Granite is used to make crafts and decorative items, for example, vases.
Granite is especially often used in kitchen interiors. Lovers of natural stone usually choose between marble and granite. But marble is less resistant to chemical attack. Granite does not react with almost any substances. This is especially important for kitchens.
Granite curbs decorate many embankments. Sculptures and monuments are carved from stone. Buy granite strive for the construction of hydraulic structures. All data on granite can be easily found in the literature. The most complete scientific work is “Geology of Granite” by E. Ragen. A distinctive feature of the book is its simple language. The publication is easy to understand even for non-specialists.