Why does granite come in different colors

Today, people all over the world are confidently using these granite countertops in red and pink to transform their inner and outer spaces. While the pink granite is capable of bringing a romantic charm, red granite is something that can lend a blazing radiance to your property.

Potassium feldspar is the mineral that imparts such beautiful shades of red and pink. Besides, in case you find granite with deeper tones of red, it is quite possible that it is due to iron oxide.

Similarly, lava stone or quartz is usually present in granite, which has evenly red surface without much streaks or spots. This could probably be considered a new entry to the scene but has become fairly popular in the last couple of years, mostly as a design element. Larvikite and labradorite are two minerals from the feldspar family that majorly lend azure tones to blue granite.

Hope, this article will add to your knowledge of natural stones, especially granite. All the above-discussed granite colors in multiple shades are available with Regatta Granites India. For quick quotes, you can fill the form given on the website. Skip to content. Search for:.

Spread the love. Granite is one of the most commonly known types of rocks, used in everything from buildings to sculptures. It has been used for thousands of years and is regarded as a symbol of status, strength, and durability. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock with large grains minerals easily seen by the naked eye. Granite colours are most commonly pink, white, variations of grey and black. Granite is a conglomerate of minerals and rocks, primarily quartz, potassium feldspar, mica, amphiboles, and trace other minerals.

The minerals that make up granite give it the unique colours we see in different types of granite. The relative proportion of different coloured minerals in a granite is largely due to the original source of molten rock that cooled to form the granite. If the molten rock was abundant in potassium feldspar, the granite is more likely to take on a salmon pink colour. On the other hand, if the molten rock is abundant in quartz and minerals that make up amphibole, you will likely get a black and white speckled granite commonly seen on countertops.

The combination of the minerals above make up most of the colours we typically see in a granite. White granite is a granite that is composed primarily of quartz milky white and feldspar opaque white minerals. The small black specks in the granite above are likely small amphibole grains. This could be due to a lack of chemical components needed to form amphibole, or the cooling process was not amenable to formation of amphiboles.

Pink granite is formed from an abundance of potassium feldspar. Should it contain speckles of a milky colour these would be due to quartz.

Black speckles would be from amphibole and opaque ones from feldspar. Red granite is similar to pink but with the potassium feldspar having more of a reddish colour. The red shade may also derive from iron oxide in the rock.

Granite has been used for thousands of years in construction and art. It is considered a status symbol. In addition to countertops, granite is used for floor tiles, building veneers and paving stone. It is the best-known and most common igneous rock found on Earth. In the commercial stone industry, granite is defined, simply, as a rock with visible grains that is harder than marble. As a result, rocks other than granite itself may be referred to as granite.

These include gabbro, basalt, and pegmatite. A granite referred to as black would be composed of gabbro, for example, as actual granite must be composed of at least 20 per cent quartz and would have at least some white colour in it.

A granite referred to as blue would also not actually be granite but likely another rock.