Is Granite The Hardest Rock

In the commercial stone industry a granite is a rock with visible grains that are harder than marble.

Is granite the hardest rock.

The igneous rock is comprised of mostly quartz and feldspar along with smaller amounts of various other minerals. The strongest types on the other hand include quartz in their makeup. Resistant to scratching cracking and chipping. When properly sealed it will last for decades.

It is quite durable and highly heat resistant. The following is a list of rock types recognized by geologists there is no agreed number of specific types of rocks. Granite comes in at a 6 to 7 on the mohs scale meaning it is relatively hard. A properly installed sealed granite countertop will look like new and most likely last your lifetime under normal use.

It is formed when molten lava flows onto and into rocks of other types. Under this definition gabbro basalt pegmatite schist gneiss syenite monzonite anorthosite granodiorite diabase diorite and many other rocks will be called granite. Quartzite quartz sandstones rhyolites and granites according to the madsci network. There s no single hardest rock on earth.

Marble is a degree or two less and though it is still a very hard stone it s rating on the mohs scale is about a 5. Granite is a hard stone and requires skill to carve by hand. Granite stay at the number 7 at the mohs scale and granite is harder than marble. Until the early 18th century in the western world granite could be carved only by hand tools with generally poor results.

Any unique combination of chemical composition mineralogy grain size texture or other distinguishing characteristics can describe a rock type. A natural stone granite is rock hard second only to diamonds in terms of the hardness of natural materials. An example of the hardness of a granite countertop can be seen in the fact that a knife blade will not scratch the surface. Granite is highly resistant to chips and scratches it is the hardest stone next to the diamond.

So we strive for the hardest most attainable and attractive option in stones which happens to be granite and quartz. Paul thompson photolibrary getty images granite is a 6 to 7 on the mohs hardness scale. Hardness of chalk is around 3 mohs. Granite brings a striking beauty that cannot be replicated by marble or quartz.

In some areas granite is used for gravestones and memorials. Calcium carbonate is also the number one mineral at the marble spec.