Igneous Rock Types Granite

Learn more about the properties and uses of granite in this article.

Igneous rock types granite.

There are two basic types. Granite is a light colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It s the first thing you learn in a geology class very briefly the three types of rocks are. Intrusive igneous rocks crystallize below earth s surface and the slow cooling that occurs there allows large crystals to form.

As per wikipedia igneous rock derived from the latin word ignis meaning fire is one of the three main rock types the others being sedimentary and metamorphic igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica amphiboles and other minerals this mineral composition usually gives granite a red pink gray or white color with dark mineral. Igneous rock may form with or without crystallization either below the surface as intrusive plutonic rocks or on the surface as extrusive volcanic. Examples of intrusive igneous rocks are diabase diorite gabbro granite pegmatite and peridotite.

Granite common type of intrusive felsic igneous rock with granular structure granodiorite a phaneritic textured intrusive igneous rock similar to granite granophyre a subvolcanic rock that contains quartz and alkali feldspar in characteristic angular intergrowths. Igneous they form from the cooling of magma deep inside the earth. Granite is a type of igneous rock that consists of quartz gray plagioclase feldspar white and alkali feldspar beige plus dark minerals such as biotite and hornblende. Granite is used by the public as a catchall name for any light colored coarse grained igneous rock.

Strictly speaking granite is an. Granite ˈ ɡ r æ n ɪ t is a common type of felsic intrusive igneous rock that is granular and phaneritic in texture. Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of molten rock material. The two best known igneous rock types are basalt and granite which have distinctly different compositions and textures.

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 completely crystalline rock. Granite coarse or medium grained intrusive igneous rock that is rich in quartz and feldspar. To avoid these complications the following figure presents a simplified version of igneous rock nomenclature focusing on the four main groups which is adequate for an introductory student. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below earth s surface.

Rocks labeled as granite in laymen applications can be several other rocks including syenite tonalite and monzonite. Feldspar quartz amphiboles and pyroxenes together called dark minerals by geologists as well as olivine along with the softer mineral mica. It is the most common plutonic rock of the earth s crust forming by the cooling of magma silicate melt at depth.