What is "granite"

Syenite \Sy"e*nite\, n. [L. Syenites (sc. lapis), from Syene, Gr. ?.] (Min.)

1. Orig., a rock composed of quartz, hornblende, and feldspar, anciently quarried at Syene, in Upper Egypt, and now called granite.

2. A granular, crystalline, ingeous rock composed of orthoclase and hornblende, the latter often replaced or accompanied by pyroxene or mica. Syenite sometimes contains nephelite (el[ae]olite) or leucite, and is then called nephelite (el[ae]olite) syenite or leucite syenite.

1640s, from French granit(e) (17c.) or directly from Italian granito "granite," originally "grained," past participle of granire "granulate, make grainy," from grano "grain," from Latin granum "grain" (see corn (n.1)). In reference to the appearance of the rock. Used figuratively for "hardness" (of the heart, head, etc.) from 1839. New Hampshire, U.S., has been the Granite State since at least 1825.

n. 1 (context rock English) A group of igneous and plutonic rocks composed primarily of feldspar and quartz. Usually contains one or more dark minerals, which may be mica, pyroxene, or amphibole. Granite is quarried for building stone, road gravel, decorative stone, and tombstones. Common colors are gray, white, pink, and yellow-brown. 2 (context uncountable figurative English) toughness; the quality of having a thick skin or being rough.

1. n. plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz

2. something having the quality of granite (unyielding firmness); "a man of granite"

Granite is a common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock that is granular and phaneritic in texture. Granites can be predominantly white, pink, or gray in color, depending on their mineralogy. The word "granite" comes from the Latin granum, a grain, in reference to the coarse-grained structure of such a holocrystalline rock. By definition, granite is an igneous rock with at least 20% quartz and up to 65% alkali feldspar by volume.

The term "granitic" means granite-like and is applied to granite and a group of intrusive igneous rocks with similar textures and slight variations in composition and origin. These rocks mainly consist of feldspar, quartz, mica, and amphibole minerals, which form an interlocking, somewhat equigranular matrix of feldspar and quartz with scattered darker biotite mica and amphibole (often hornblende) peppering the lighter color minerals. Occasionally some individual crystals ( phenocrysts) are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic texture is known as a granite porphyry. Granitoid is a general, descriptive field term for lighter-colored, coarse-grained igneous rocks. Petrographic examination is required for identification of specific types of granitoids.

Granite differs from granodiorite in that at least 35% of the feldspar in granite is alkali feldspar as opposed to plagioclase; it is the potassium feldspar that gives many granites a distinctive pink color. The extrusive igneous rock equivalent of granite is rhyolite.

Granite is nearly always massive (lacking any internal structures), hard and tough, and therefore it has gained widespread use throughout human history, and more recently as a construction stone. The average density of granite is between 2.65 and 2.75 g/cm, its compressive strength usually lies above 200 MPa, and its viscosity near STP is 3–6 • 10 Pa·s.

The melting temperature of dry granite at ambient pressure is ; it is strongly reduced in the presence of water, down to 650 °C at a few kBar pressure.

Granite has poor primary permeability, but strong secondary permeability.

The rock known as "black granite" is usually gabbro.

Granite is a type of rock.

Granite may also refer to:

"Granite" is the first single from Australian drum and bass band Pendulum's second studio album In Silico. It was released through Warner Music UK, and through the band's new Ear Storm imprint with Warner Music Group. The song entered the UK Singles Chart on 11 November 2007, peaking at number 29 on 2 December. The single is supposedly inspired by the likes of video game boss battles, including the theme of various battles against the Mario series' Bowser; it directly samples the beginning of the music from the castle stages in Super Mario World. Q Magazine named it 24th in the 50 top records of December 2007. When played in reverse, the main melody changes into the melody used in the end of the song, and vice versa. The song is featured in Need for Speed Undercover.

Granite (original German title: Granit) is a novella by Adalbert Stifter, included in his collection Colourful Stones, 1853 (original title: Bunte Steine). On a walk, the grandfather of the protagonist tells him the story of a family of resin extractors' vain endeavour to escape and the rescue of two children. It is the revised edition of the novella Die Pechbrenner, published in 1848.