igneous
Pink Granite (with Quartz Vein)
Granite (plutonic felsic igneous rock)
Hardness: 6-7 on Mohs scale; Color: Pinkish-red, gray, white, with dark speckles; Luster: Vitreous to dull; Texture: Phaneritic (coarse-grained) and water-worn smooth; Specific Gravity: 2.63-2.75
- Hardness
- 6-7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Pinkish-red, gray, white, with dark speckles
- Luster
- Vitreous to dull
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Physical properties
Hardness: 6-7 on Mohs scale; Color: Pinkish-red, gray, white, with dark speckles; Luster: Vitreous to dull; Texture: Phaneritic (coarse-grained) and water-worn smooth; Specific Gravity: 2.63-2.75
Formation & geological history
Formed by the slow crystallization of silica-rich magma deep underground (plutonic environment). The red/pink coloration comes from orthoclase alkali feldspar. The specimen has been naturally smoothed by stream or wave action, featuring a distinct quartz vein cut across it.
Uses & applications
Commonly used as decorative landscaping stones, polished river pebbles, construction aggregate, dimension stone, and for lapidary polishing.
Geological facts
Granite makes up a large portion of Earth's continental crust. The distinct pink/red color is due to potassium feldspar (orthoclase), while the white vein formed when silica-rich fluids filled a fracture in the cooling rock and crystallized into quartz.
Field identification & locations
Identified by visible interlocking grains of pink feldspar, translucent quartz, and dark biotite or hornblende, crossing through with a clear quartz vein band. Commonly found in glaciated regions, riverbeds, and coastal beaches near granitic batholiths.
