Granite is a common, coarse-grained, acidic, igneous, plutonic rock that is characterized by its great hardness. It belongs to the plutonic igneous rocks because it was created by the solidification and crystallization of magma at a significantly great depth in the crust of the Earth, hence its crystalline, granular texture. In fact, its name is derived from the Latin word “granum”, meaning grain and is due to its granular texture. For a plutonic rock to be classified as granitic, it must contain feldspars (alkali and plagioclase feldspars), as well as quartz, but usually, in addition to the essential minerals, granites contain ferromagnesian minerals, such as mica, amphiboles, pyroxenes etc. and accessory minerals, such as zirconia, apatite, titanite, etc. Its composition is the one that determines its color.
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