What is granite. Application of granite by man Granite consists of

The formation of granite and faceted soil in general is still not fully understood. The strength of the rock is such that only 1 cm² of it can withstand a 600 kg load without consequences. This is 2600 kg/m³.

The formation of granite and faceted soil in general is still not fully understood.

The amazing hardness of granite is up to 7 points on the Mohs mineralogical scale. This hardness scale has 10 divisions and uses the scratching method. The density of granite is impressive: its 1 cm³ weighs 3 times the same volume of water.

It cannot be said that all the physical properties of granite are impeccable. Withstanding temperature fluctuations of 100 degrees or more, insane for a person, he cannot boast of the same excellent refractoriness and melts when heated to 700 ° C.

The low melting point of granite is the main reason why many ancient structures did not survive the fires and were irretrievably lost.

Given this feature, subsequent generations of builders and architects still prefer to use all types of granite as a facing material. Frost-resistant, with a water and dirt-repellent surface, it is distinguished by a favorable price among materials of a similar purpose.

Breed composition

What is this breed? The mineral composition of granite is based on such minerals formed during the crystallization of magma as plagioclase, potassium feldspar, quartz, micas. Granite draws its composition from igneous plutonic rocks of high acidity.
The basis of the earth's crust, its most important rock is granite stone. However, how such minerals are formed is still not completely clear. There is an assumption that in the process of crystallization, basaltic magma is gradually saturated with various chemical elements. Moreover, this process is subject to a certain pattern. At the end of this complex and long journey, differentiates are formed - derivatives of a certain basaltic melt. The chemical composition of granite indirectly indicates the veracity of this assumption. After all, the rock is saturated with low-melting sodium, potassium, silicon.

Granite stone is the basis of the earth's crust, its most important rock.

The stone is multifaceted. Its structure may be different. It can be fine, medium and coarse grained. The finer the grain fraction (from 2 mm), the stronger the rock, the less susceptible it is to the influence of various atmospheric phenomena.

Gallery: granite stone (25 photos)

Color variations

Varieties of granite find different applications in the spheres of human life. In many ways, color matters. It can be red, black, gray, beige, brown, bluish and even pink. Quartz and mica fragments in the composition give the stone, illuminated by the sun or artificial light, a sparkling look.

Granite draws its colors from its constituent feldspars.

Pink granite for its shades from delicate to deep purple is also called amethyst. Its deposits on the territory of Russia are in Karelia. And in Brittany there is Pleneuf-Val-André, the coast of which is called the Pink Granite Coast for the unique delicate color of the boulders.

Varieties of granite find different applications in the fields of human activity.

Saturated red slabs can be found in the decoration of buildings, bridges and embankments.

If the composition of the rock is dominated by black quartz, then the color of granite is black. This variation is in great demand in the construction of monuments, along with marble. Solemnly strict and at the same time radiating brilliance, such a stone looks amazing both in the form of a stele and as part of a composite monument.
Green is rare. Gray is the most common in construction.

Amazon stone

Amazonite granite among others looks magical. Its greenish-emerald hue looks perfect in caskets, snuff boxes, ashtrays and even beads embodied in stone.

The first deposit of this rock was discovered in Mongolia. But earlier it was also found in the Scythian mounds in the form of jewelry, household items and even weapons. Even Herodotus and Pliny associated such an interesting name of the stone with the militant Amazons (from the Greek "Amazon" - breastless).

The works of ancient scientists contain a description of these women, who, worshiping the goddess of fertility, sacrificed their breasts to her. One of the legends puts forward a version that the use of granite among the Amazons made it possible to do without the brutal amputation of the right breast. Instead, warrior women rubbed it with green amazonite powder from childhood. This, of course, is only a beautiful version, but it is not without scientific background.

The breed comes in shades from green to almost blue. This is a beautiful finishing and ornamental material.

Often traces of tantalum and tin are found in its composition. It is found on the Kola Peninsula and in the Urals. Other places of production - Madagascar Antananarivo and Zimbabwe.

What is better granite or artificial stone (video)

artificial or natural

Despite the widespread mining, the properties and use of natural granite do not always satisfy the goals of the end user. And price is not always the deciding factor. She's not small though.

Artificial granite successfully solves problems that are heavy for natural granite. Products from it look amazing.

It is difficult to call a stone unnatural: consisting of 80% natural granite chips, it is outwardly indistinguishable from natural.

The characteristic of artificial granite differs little from the characteristics of natural stone. But the price differs markedly.

The main advantage is the ability to form almost any shape given by human imagination, because granite is formed from a viscous mass.

Its properties are somewhat inferior to the natural mineral. But much depends on the quality of the components and the integrity of the manufacturer.

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the material created by nature and man. There is only one characteristic of granite that will help to do this. Tap a metal object on the surface: if it is natural, then the sound will be sonorous, and if not, it will be muffled.

How to define quality

A brief description of the stone is usually not complete without mentioning possible cracks. But are they married? Whatever the color of the minerals, the strength and durability of granite are determined by nature itself.

The ability to repel water and resistance to pollution, as well as numerous granite monuments of history and architecture with several hundred years of history, allow us to assert that no minor natural defects in stones can affect their operational properties. The service life of granite products can reach up to 500 years.

The opinion about the radiation background of the breed, which can harm human health, is biased. The level of its radiation does not exceed the permissible.
Granites are melting enough. But hot kitchen utensils will never melt or damage a window sill or countertop made from this stone.

The stone is processed according to one or another scheme, depending on the purpose of the final product.
It is sawn, polished, ground, polished. Products are made even from faceted granite.

Burchadirovanie get the effect of grainy texture with anti-slip effect. Imitation of natural cleavage is widely used in the production of monuments.

Attention, only TODAY!

Have you ever considered crushed stone, which is used in construction or for backfilling a railway track? Usually these are rather beautiful small fragments of a granular stone of gray or reddish color.


Stone grains shine brightly in the sun, and it is noticeable that the structure of the mineral is rather heterogeneous and consists of particles of different colors. With a high probability, we can say that the stone is one of the types of granite.

What is granite?

This rock is synonymous with hardness and strength. If they want to say something very durable, they say: harder than granite. Indeed, granite is the champion in terms of hardness among the rocks used in construction and decoration. Buildings erected from granite stand for hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years, surprising us with their beauty and durability. True, in ancient times this stone was rarely used for construction, since it is very difficult to process it, especially by hand.

Even with the naked eye it can be seen that the composition of granite includes particles of different rocks, i.e. its composition is heterogeneous. This is evidenced even by the name of the breed, which is derived from the Latin word "granum" meaning "grain, particle" .

Multi-colored grains form magnificent natural patterns, due to which granite is widely used for finishing private and public buildings, squares, memorial complexes, etc. High hardness and excellent frost resistance have made granite the most popular finishing rock, which perfectly resists the harsh Russian climate.

Origin of granite

In nature, granite of different types was formed in two ways:

- from a magma melt that cooled and crystallized in the depths of the earth's crust under high pressure, due to which an extremely hard and granular rock of high density was formed;

- from a mixture of clastic and sedimentary rocks mixed with alumina, which, during tectonic processes, plunged deep into the earth's crust and were exposed to a complex of factors - high temperature, high pressure and hot gases, which led to the sintering of particles of these rocks into a solid and durable conglomerate.


Granite was formed several million years ago. During this period, active processes of mountain building were going on on our planet, earthquakes constantly occurred and, layers of rocks rose to the surface, while others sank deep into the earth's crust.

Composition of granite

Granites of different grades include many types of minerals, but most are based on a combination of quartz and feldspar in various proportions, with additions of other minerals. The composition of granite can be roughly determined by the appearance of the grains:

- quartz - transparent or bluish, smoky-white crystals;

- gray and reddish grains - feldspar;

- transparent or black shiny plates - mica;

- potassium spar - cream or pinkish grains;

- oligoclase - yellow, greenish or bluish grains;

- plagioclase - pink grains.

Different grades of granite can have a gray, reddish, pink, greenish or almost black color, numerous color inclusions and small veins. The color scheme is determined by the minerals that are included in its composition.

Application of granite

Despite many excellent qualities, granite has found wide application only in the last two hundred years, when there was a sufficient technological base for its processing. The ancient and medieval world was content with softer marble and sandstone, and only relatively recently sawing and grinding methods have improved so much that it has become possible to quickly and efficiently process the hardest rocks.

Due to the almost complete absence of pores, granite is not impregnated with water, therefore it can easily withstand numerous cycles of freezing and thawing. This allows the use of granite slabs as the outer cladding of buildings and monumental structures, for paving streets and squares.


Polished granite is also used in interior decoration: floors are laid out of it, stairs and columns are made, walls, pools, and bathrooms are lined with slabs. Countertops, window sills, bathtubs and sinks are cut out of granite, sculptural compositions are made. But most of the stone mined is crushed and used as crushed stone for backfilling roads, concrete production and construction work.

As stones with magical properties, it is customary to see precious or semi-precious stones in the form of rings, pendants, figurines or geodes. Granite is completely different. It does not make decoration, it is associated with monuments and majestic buildings. Meanwhile, it also has magical powers and can be used as a talisman.

Translated from Latin, "granite" means "grain". This describes its structure. Granite really consists of grains of various minerals. In modern geology, it is customary to attribute a mineral with the following composition to granite:

• the proportion of feldspars is 60% of the rock;
• quartz - 30%;
• – 5-10%.

Sometimes, along with feldspar, granite includes hornblende, biotite,. Depending on the composition, the color of granite may vary. Most often it is a gray stone with darker inclusions, but red, brown, pink, yellow, green granite is found. Quartz in the composition of granite looks like glassy transparent grains from 2 to 25 mm. At a certain angle of view, they give the stone a shimmering sheen. Less common are varieties with inclusions, which colors the entire mass of feldspar.

Stone characteristics:

Due to its characteristics and prevalence in nature, granite is widely used in construction and manufacturing. A large number of varieties gives scope for the imagination of designers.

Application of granite

Granite is not afraid of exposure to acids and salts, so this stone can be used in the chemical industry. A small coefficient of water absorption makes granite an indispensable material for facing pools, fountains, embankments. Due to the frost resistance of granite, it is a material for exterior decoration of buildings. Granite wears out a little, so it is used in interior decoration of premises with high traffic, it is also a material for road construction. Here are just some examples of its use:

• columns;
• monuments;
• parapets;
• paving stones, curbs;
• floor tiles;
• wall panels;
• steps of stairs;
• window sills;
• countertops;
• vases;
• cornices;
• details of production machines;
• millstone;
• bases of high-precision instruments;
• material for railway embankments.

Granite is subject to weathering and melts at temperatures above 700 degrees. But meanwhile, many granite monuments of architecture of a thousand years ago have come down to us: ancient Egyptian, ancient Roman, Greek structures. Many have not survived to this day, destroyed by wars and natural disasters.

An example of millennial granite structures:

• Stonehenge. Its stones weigh over 50 tons;
• the obelisk of Hatshepsut, weighing 343 tons;
• Escorial Spanish Monastery.

During the reign of Peter I, mining, and other stones reached its peak. During the construction of St. Petersburg, granite was mainly used. "The Neva dressed in granite." These are the buildings of the Academy of Arts, the Stock Exchange, the Admiralty, St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Granite can be mined in huge multi-ton arrays. For example, the pedestal of the statue of the Bronze Horseman in its original form had a weight of 2,000 tons or the Alexandrian Column, which in its raw form was a stone more than 30 meters high.

How granite is mined

The only disadvantage of granite is the complexity of mining and processing. The stone is polished exclusively with tools. It remains a mystery how huge stones were previously mined for the construction of majestic palaces.

There is an assumption that in ancient times the stones were separated from the array with copper saws using as an abrasive. Modern experiments prove that this is possible. Although there are opponents of this theory. They argue that the nature of the marks on the stones suggests that tools similar to modern diamond cutters were used. But archaeological excavations do not confirm this theory. Scientists have found only the simplest tools.

In the times of Peter the Great, recesses were drilled in the base of the massif to separate granite blocks, and columns were hammered into them. The work was done up to the first vertical crack. Then mines were drilled in the stone for laying gunpowder. The explosion broke off the plate. In the same way, the stone was broken into smaller pieces.

Now the extraction of stone is carried out in a similar way. Holes up to 7 meters deep are drilled in the massif, explosives are laid in them, with the help of which the plate breaks off.

How granite is formed

This question has been the subject of discussion for a long time.

Development of theories:

1. In the 18th century it was believed that granite is the deposition of crystals on the seabed.
2. In the 19th century, they began to believe that granite is magma, which, rising to the surface, captures and sinters other minerals, cools down and crystallizes.
3. In the 20th century, another theory was added to the previous one. Granite is the result of hot springs that erode and transform rocks. Some components are washed out, others crystallize and sinter.

Now the last two theories are being developed. It is generally accepted that they both have the right to exist. Part of the granite massifs was formed by magmatic method, part by granitization.

Granite deposits

Now granitic rocks lie close to the surface of the earth's crust and less often on the ocean floor. Their formation took place throughout the history of the earth. The oldest samples date back to 3.8 Ga.

Initially, feldspar was deposited far from the surface, at a depth of 10-15 km. But gradually the sedimentary rocks were eroded and weathered, due to which the granite slabs were exposed.

Granite makes up 77% of all igneous rocks near the earth's surface. Its deposits are different. These are small veins of 1-10 meters or huge layers that make up entire granite belts. The maximum depth of such formations is unknown. For example, in Peru, a layer of granite is exposed for 4 km, but this is not the limit.

Granite is currently being developed in many countries. The most famous:

1. In Russia, these are the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorye, Transbaikalia, and the Urals. It is mined here, gray and brown. In the Leningrad region, Karelia, on the Kola Peninsula, deposits of pink, red and. Gray-pink granite is found in the Murmansk region.
2. Ukraine is famous.
3. In Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. Rare green-blue granite is mined here.
4. Europe: Bulgaria, Portugal, France, Scandinavian countries. Spain and Sardinia are famous for their light pink granite.
5. China, India, Sri Lanka.
6. Africa.
7. North America.

Australia is rich in granite, there are deposits of blue granite, but the deposits have not been explored to the end and stone mining is not developed.

Magical and healing properties

It may seem that granite is too simple to have any extraordinary properties. It is too familiar to be used for magical purposes. But experts highlight its properties:

• changes a person's life for the better. It can be any changes: financially, in love relationships, job change or promotion, change of residence;
• relaxes;
• cleans the room from negative energy;
• increases sociability, helps to find mutual understanding with other people;
• increases intuition, makes a person responsive and flexible;
• beneficial effect on the joints and spine.

As a talisman, granite stone is recommended for those who are engaged in scientific activities, as it increases concentration, attention, improves memory and stimulates mental activity. Improving communication skills, it helps to choose an approach even to the most negligent students.

All people can use it, because it has a peaceful energy, it is not capable of harming anyone.

Granite is a symbol of masculinity, invincibility, strength and durability. This is a unique mineral from the very depths of the earth. He survived the cataclysms, the birth of various forms of life, the tectonic process in the thickness of the earth. Now this stone, millions of years old, has served man.

Granite rock is used in construction and decoration. The properties of this rock allow structures built with its use to withstand centuries. This material has been known since ancient times. Until our time, decor elements made of granite in distant medieval times have been preserved. As now, people at that distant time also wanted to build strong and durable houses and bridges. Despite the fact that granite has been known to man for quite a few centuries, it does not lose its popularity. In the modern world, there is a huge amount of new technologies, new materials, both natural and man-made. But at the same time, granite is not inferior to all these technologies, and it is still used in the construction of bridges, in the lining of embankments and pools. Of course, this is not the whole list. Due to its properties, granite is used in various conditions.

Basic properties of granite rock.

Long service life or durability. Fine-grained granite can withstand several hundred years, this is proved by structures that have survived from ancient times.

Strength. This material is resistant to abrasion, cracking, compression, abrasion, as well as acid and precipitation.

Waterproof. This stone practically does not absorb water, its water absorption is seventeen hundredths of a percent.

Environmental friendliness. Since it is a natural stone, its use cannot harm human health, such as artificially created materials, or materials using glue, the fumes of which are dangerous.

Rich texture. This is a unique property of granite. Its textures and drawings are unique, even similar ones are not found.

Granite is an amazing stone. In addition to excellent mechanical properties, it has amazing aesthetic properties.

Granite has been known since ancient times. This is one of the most famous rocks. This stone is found on almost all continents of the Earth. At times, it comes to the surface in the places of occurrence of age-old rocks, damaged by erosion. But most often, frozen magma (which granite consists of) does not reach the earth's surface and freezes at different depths, forming bodies of different sizes and configurations. It is from the destroyed rocks that the soil consists. What does it consist of?

Composition of granite

Granite contains:

• feldspars;
• mica;
• quartz;
• some dark colored minerals.

Plagigranite- in its composition, plagioclase occupies a large part, and feldspar occupies a smaller part. This type has a pinkish color.

Alaskan- feldspar dominates here, but there are few dark-colored materials in it.

And there are also: syenite, teschenite, diorite. Different types have dissimilar color. The content of feldspar is responsible for the shade of the stone, which brings a certain color to the rock: from light pink to greenish, black, silvery, golden, etc.

Granite has a grainy surface. Quartz is responsible for the grain size. It is customary to classify this rock also by grain size into:

• fine-grained (grain size less than 2 mm);
• medium-grained (grains 2-10 mm in size);
• coarse-grained (grains larger than 10 mm).

Fine-grained stones are considered the best.: they are less resistant to mechanical influences, wear more uniformly during use, more resistant to weather influences, crack less when heated.

Granites with larger grains are slightly less resistant to heat: when the temperature rises above 600 degrees, they begin to grow in volume and crack. Therefore, sometimes after strong fires in houses where granite stairs were present, you can see that the stone steps are slightly cracked.

The main property of granite is its strength. What is granite? First of all, this is a very durable material that is not subject to mechanical stress, temperature changes (it is not afraid of changes over 100 degrees: it “feels” equally well at +50 degrees and at -60 degrees), it is not subject to fungal infections, it is fire resistant (melting point +700 degrees), resistant to acids. Even in the most difficult conditions, this stone remains flawless and will retain its own strength. Cutting and grinding it is carried out only with the help of diamond tools.

Characteristics:

The strength of the material depends on its moisture absorption coefficient. The value of this coefficient for this rock exceeds all other materials and depends on the place of extraction: denser layers of the deposit are a condition for having an excellent rock grade. The depth of the rock, which determines the strength and density of granite, will further determine the scope of the stone.

Granite deposits

Found on almost all continents. You can even say that this rock is the hallmark of our planet.

In Russia, the largest deposits are located in the Urals, the Far East, Eastern Siberia, the Caucasus, the Kola-Karelian (Karelian-Murmansk) region. In general, more than fifty deposits have been established where piece stone is mined. Many deposits are mined for quarrystone and crushed stone, sometimes granite blocks are also extracted from them, which are used for the manufacture of facing slabs. At times, the resulting blocks are hewn for piece stone or for architecture (the manufacture of monuments).

In the post-Soviet space, the most significant deposits are in the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine (Mokryanskoye), in the Poltava region of Ukraine (Malokokhnovskoye), in the Brest region of Belarus (Mikashevichi). In general, over two hundred granite deposits have been developed on the territory of the former USSR.

Europe is also rich in granite deposits. For example, Italian stone (Sardinia) - a luxurious light pink color "limbar", "sardo dew", etc. (Italy is the world leader in the creation of facing materials and products). In France, the main deposits are located in Brittany, and in total more than a hundred types of this stone are mined in France. UK, Scotland. Spain has a large group of deposits of highly decorative stone, which is actively exported. Sweden, Finland (Finns are one of the largest suppliers of granite blocks to the whole world), Germany (Bavaria, Lower Saxony), Portugal.

It is known that there are huge deposits on the African continent, but due to the poor knowledge of this region, it is difficult to say what the characteristics of the rock mined there will be.

America is also replete with deposits of this "eternal" stone: in North America, mining is carried out in the states of Wisconsin, Georgia, Vermont, etc., there are deposits in Canada; in South America - Brazil, Argentina.

And in Australia, the well-known grade of blue Labrador granite is mined.

Application

Due to its strength, granite has been used since ancient times. in construction: this stone is very durable, it is practically not affected by any external irritants (even during the construction of the well-known pyramids in Egypt, granite blocks were used), so the products of this stone have been well preserved for many centuries.

The stone lends itself well to processing, it is perfectly polished, polished (you can even create a mirror surface), so it is often used in the production of facings, countertops, monuments, stairs and, of course, many their interior details.

Misconceptions about granite

For some reason, many people think that granite is very expensive for its price. The truth is that artificial stone will often have a much higher price than natural grades. Of course, this postulate does not apply to the cost of rare varieties of stone.

The opinion that granite is subject to cracking at high temperatures is also exaggerated. This is far from the case: the natural destruction of the stone lasts for many centuries.

And the most common misconception is the misconception about the radiation background emitted by the stone. In fact, this level is two times less than the established maximum permissible norms.

The result of all of the above may be the fact that granite is a stone extremely durable, beautiful and environmentally friendly.