igneous
Granite Pebble
Granite
Hardness: 6-7 on the Mohs scale. Color: Mottled grey, white, pink, and black. Luster: Dull to vitreous depending on quartz exposure. Texture: Phaneritic, coarse-grained crystalline structure composed of quartz, feldspar, and mafic minerals.
- Hardness
- 6-7 on the Mohs scale
- Color
- Mottled grey, white, pink, and black
- Luster
- Dull to vitreous depending on quartz exposure
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Physical properties
Hardness: 6-7 on the Mohs scale. Color: Mottled grey, white, pink, and black. Luster: Dull to vitreous depending on quartz exposure. Texture: Phaneritic, coarse-grained crystalline structure composed of quartz, feldspar, and mafic minerals.
Formation & geological history
Formed by the slow crystallization of magma below Earth's surface (plutonic igneous rock). Smooth rounded shape developed through alluvial or glacial weathering and erosion over thousands of years.
Uses & applications
Commonly used as construction aggregate, decorative landscaping stone, aquascaping, or as a polished pocket stone for rock collectors.
Geological facts
Granite forms a large portion of Earth's continental crust. Over time, erosion unearths granitic plutons, and river or wave action rounds individual fragments into smooth pebbles.
Field identification & locations
Identified by visible interlocking grains of whitish/pink feldspar, glassy quartz, and dark biotite or hornblende grains in a smooth, water-worn beach or river pebble.
