igneous

Granite

Phaneritic plutonic rock (Quartz, Feldspar, Mica)

Hardness: 6-7 Mohs; Color: Pink, gray, white, and black mottled; Luster: Vitreous to dull; Crystal structure: Phaneritic (coarse-grained); Cleavage: Dependent on mineral constituents; Specific Gravity: 2.63-2.75

Hardness: 6-7 Mohs
Color: Pink, gray, white, and black mottled
Luster: Vitreous to dull

Identified May 27, 2026More igneous →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed through the slow crystallization of silica-rich magma below the Earth's surface. Found in continental crust, often appearing in mountain roots and cratons dating from the Precambrian to Cenozoic eras.

Uses & applications

Extensively used in construction for countertops, floor tiles, paving stones, monuments, and as crushed stone for road base.

Geological facts

Granite makes up a large part of the Earth's continental crust. Unlike oceanic crust which is primarily basalt, continents are 'buoyant' because they are made of less dense granitic rocks.

Field identification & locations

Identify by its interlocking 'salt and pepper' appearance of multicolored crystals (pink potassium feldspar, white plagioclase, glassy quartz, and dark biotite or hornblende). Found globally in mountainous regions.

Other igneous specimens

See all

Blue Apatite

Fluorapatite (Ca5(PO4)3F)

mineral

Dark Igneous Rock (Likely Basalt or Diabase)

Basalt (extrusive igneous rock) or Diabase (intrusive igneous rock - also known as Dolerite), largely composed of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene (augite), and sometimes olivine and amphibole. Exact mineralogy would require thin section analysis.

Igneous

Dalmatian Jasper

Aplite with Arfvedsonite inclusions

igneous

Magnetite

Iron(II,III) oxide (Fe3O4)

mineral

Blue Apatite

Apatite (Group), Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)

mineral

Sodalite

Sodalite - Na8(Al6Si6O24)Cl2

mineral