Is Granite The Hardest Rock

A properly installed sealed granite countertop will look like new and most likely last your lifetime under normal use.

Is granite the hardest rock.

Until the early 18th century in the western world granite could be carved only by hand tools with generally poor results. Granite brings a striking beauty that cannot be replicated by marble or quartz. The following is a list of rock types recognized by geologists there is no agreed number of specific types of rocks. Granite is one of the hardest materials on earth.

Granite comes in at a 6 to 7 on the mohs scale meaning it is relatively hard. Calcium carbonate is also the number one mineral at the marble spec. A natural stone granite is rock hard second only to diamonds in terms of the hardness of natural materials. Granite is highly resistant to chips and scratches it is the hardest stone next to the diamond.

The strongest types on the other hand include quartz in their makeup. There s no single hardest rock on earth. Quartzite quartz sandstones rhyolites and granites according to the madsci network. Under this definition gabbro basalt pegmatite schist gneiss syenite monzonite anorthosite granodiorite diabase diorite and many other rocks will be called granite.

Granite is a hard stone and requires skill to carve by hand. 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. So we strive for the hardest most attainable and attractive option in stones which happens to be granite and quartz. Any unique combination of chemical composition mineralogy grain size texture or other distinguishing characteristics can describe a rock type.

Granite stay at the number 7 at the mohs scale and granite is harder than marble. It is formed when molten lava flows onto and into rocks of other types. Paul thompson photolibrary getty images granite is a 6 to 7 on the mohs hardness scale. Resistant to scratching cracking and chipping.

An example of the hardness of a granite countertop can be seen in the fact that a knife blade will not scratch the surface. When properly sealed it will last for decades. The igneous rock is comprised of mostly quartz and feldspar along with smaller amounts of various other minerals. It is quite durable and highly heat resistant.

In some areas granite is used for gravestones and memorials. The mohs hardness scale was developed by the german mineralogist friedrich mohs to determine the hardness of a mineral based on whether it can be scratched by a substance of known hardness.