Granite

How it is used

The classic textbook example of an intrusive igneous rock. Large bodies of granite are called plutons or batholiths. In the stone trade, 'granite' is used loosely for many hard decorative stones that are not true granite.

Example sentences

1. Granite is common in continental crust but almost absent from the ocean floor.

2. You can see large pink feldspar crystals in this granite.

Common collocations

• granite pluton
• coarse-grained granite
• granite intrusion
• pink granite

Related terms

• igneous rockRock that forms when molten magma or lava cools and becomes solid. Granite forms slowly underground, while basalt forms quickly at the surface.
• quartzA hard, common mineral made of silicon dioxide (SiO2), usually clear, white or grey with a glassy lustre. It has a hardness of 7 and no cleavage.
• crystalA solid in which the atoms are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern, which often gives it flat faces and a typical shape.
• basaltA dark, fine-grained igneous rock formed when lava cools quickly at or near the surface. It is the most common volcanic rock and makes up the ocean floor.

More terms: Rocks & Minerals

• rock
• mineral
• sedimentary rock
• metamorphic rock
• rock cycle
• limestone
• hardness
• cleavage