From Latin “granite” is translated as “grain”. It is a granular volcanic massive rock, which was formed in the process of gradual cooling and hardening of magma at a sufficiently large depth. In addition, its origin is possible during metamorphism, in other words, during the granitization of various rocks. Very often, granite massifs are attributed to igneous, metamorphic and mixed origin. Granite is a rock most common in the earth's crust.
Given its characteristics, we can say that this is a very durable material, due to which it is very common in construction. One of the most important characteristics of the breed is its high strength.
Qualities
- Strength. Granite is a rock that is resistant to abrasion, compression and friction. This is a very dense stone (when compressed, its strength is 90-250 MPa).
- Durability. Fine granite begins to show the first signs of destruction after 500 years, as a result of which it is also called the "eternal" stone.
- Resistance to acids and atmospheric agents. Granite is the best stone for exterior decoration of houses.
- Environmental friendliness. The natural radiation level of the main amount of granite corresponds to the first class. In other words, they are radiation safe, which means they are suitable for all types of construction.
- Water resistant. It is also an excellent characteristic of granite. He hardly absorbs moisture. That is why the stone is suitable for facing buildings, embankments, etc.
- Wealth of textures. Unpolished rough stone, absorbing light, as well as polished to an amazing shine, showing the world the light play of interspersed with mica - the decorative possibilities of such a mineral can embody the most complex designs of designers.
- Huge color palette. The most common is the gray mineral, although red granite, orange, pink, bluish green, and bluish gray are also found.
- Compatibility with other materials. It goes well with metal, wood, ceramics and other materials that are used in today's construction. He will be able to "fit" into every interior - from the ultra-modern to the classic.
Granites by grain size are divided into:
- fine-grained;
- medium grained;
- coarse-grained.
If we consider fine-grained stone, then the characteristic of granite of this type will be very different from the rest. This group resists mechanical stress much better. During operation, it abrases more evenly, cracking less when heated, and is resistant to weathering.
This group is the most expensive and high quality. Differs in resistance to destruction, water tightness and high durability. Coarse-grained samples are characterized by insufficient fire resistance. When heated above 600 ° C, they begin to crack and increase in volume. Because of what, sometimes in houses after fires you can often see cracked granite stairs and steps.
Despite the excellent density and strength, the stone is easily processed: polished, polished and cut. It has excellent thermal conductivity, which is why it is often used for heaters.
Of course, the above characteristics are considered advantages of this material. But granite stone has its drawbacks. The main disadvantage is its high weight, due to which it is one of the hardest finishing materials. This characteristic should be taken into account when creating construction projects.
Structural and chemical composition
Granite is a rock that has a granular crystalline structure. It is enriched with alkalis, rich in silicic acid, and contains less iron, magnesium and calcium.
The composition of the mineral in its average values:
- feldspars - 60-65%;
- quartz - 25-30%;
- dark-colored minerals - 5-10%.
The color of the breed primarily depends on the nature of the feldspars present in the composition. Most often, its color is gray with various shades: red, pink, gray-blue, orange, sometimes bluish-green.
In addition, the color formation is affected by dark-colored components. These elements of the breed often give a dark color, usually greenish. One example is Yantsev granite.
But quartz is most often colorless, therefore, does not affect the nature of the color. In this case, sometimes you can find a mineral with black quartz, less often - lilac-pink. Minerals with blue quartz are considered very rare. The most decorative characteristics are in fine-grained light gray samples with a blue tint. In addition, green-blue and red granite is in great demand.
Appearance
As mentioned above, the mineral is actively used in construction. And this is easily explained. Granite is an igneous rock that is perfectly polished. The resulting mirror surface is preserved for a long time in the case of using the material in the outer lining.
Also, the stone lends itself well to processing, easily takes on various forms. The relief texture of the granite surface emphasizes the monumentality of buildings, gives a decorative and interesting effect of the play of chiaroscuro.
Moreover, some types of stone receive a decorative texture only after heat treatment. This applies mainly to light gray shades, which after processing become almost sugar white.
Place of Birth
The main form of occurrence are batholiths. They are a large array of several hectares. Most often, the breed lies in the form of rods, dikes, and other intrusive bodies. Sometimes a mineral forms several stratiform bodies, alternating with metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.
Granite is found on each of the continents. Basically, it comes to the surface in those areas that were composed of ancient rocks, where, due to the erosion-denudation process, the overlapping sediments were destroyed.
So, in the USA this breed is found in the north of the country, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Black Hills Mountains and in the center of the Ozark Plateau. Stone is mined in Georgia, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Vermont.
It is also common in our country. About 200 granite deposits are exploited in the post-Soviet space. The largest of them: Mokryanskoe, Malokokhnovskoe, Mikashevichi.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, granite is most common in the Karelian-Kola region, in Eastern Siberia, the Urals, the Far East and the Caucasus. Today, about fifty deposits are known in which piece mineral is mined. Granite rubble and quarry are mined in the Ladoga area, Prionezhie region, in the Arkhangelsk and Voronezh regions, on the Karelian Isthmus, in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions, in the Khabarovsk Territory and Primorye, and in Eastern Transbaikalia. Rapakivi, mined in the north-west of the country, are distinguished by excellent decorative characteristics, in addition, amazanite species of Transbaikalia and the Ilmen mountains are also appreciated. Many deposits do not work continuously, mainly on gravel and rubble. In them, as necessary, blocks of granite are mined, and facing plates are made of them.
There are several types of granite, we will consider them in the article below.
Gabbro Diabase
This is a strong homogeneous black granite mountain granite with small interspersed gray. It perfectly accumulates, and then gives off heat, heats up evenly throughout the mass, does not lose polishing quality and artistic properties longer than all breeds.
This stone is considered 1st class building materials. It does not emit any harmful impurities, it is completely non-radioactive. At the same time, Karelian gabbro-diabase is a unique rock that has no analogues in other regions of our country.
The mineral is used for the production of road block stone (mosaic checkers, bridge pavers, curbs), for the manufacture of interior items and various ritual products, in precision engineering, for landscape design, like a basement in construction. Ideal for interior decoration and cladding of building facades, it goes partially to rubble and booth, and is used for heaters in saunas and bathhouses.
In the world of everything, there are 3 main areas of block stone mining:
- Ukrainian gabbro-diabase, which in quality is inferior to Karelian, although almost half the price. It contains a huge number of iron impurities, and this affects the quality of the finished product, while the drawing on the stone quickly dims.
- Australian gabbro diabase, similar to Karelian in quality, although costing a lot more.
- Karelian gabbro-diabase, which has black color, a low degree of abrasion, high decorative properties, durability, frost resistance, retains the pattern applied to it for a long time.
Based on the ratio of quality and price, Karelian gabbro-diabase is usually in higher demand. Moreover, it is steadily increasing every year. The popularity of the Karelian mineral is due to its resistance and durability. This stone is almost not affected by the negative effects of the environment. It retains properties much longer than marble, and the very first signs of destruction appear only after a hundred years.
Chancey Black (Chinese Granite)
Chinese granite is a black rock that is considered one of the best in the world. It is obtained in the north of China, in the province of Shanxi. Its main advantage is a rich and deep black color with a small amount of interspersed. It is used for facade cladding, interior decoration, the manufacture of products for various purposes, monuments and monuments.
Shoksha
This raspberry granite, the price of which is very affordable - about 10, 000 rubles / ton, is mined in the Republic of Karelia. It is characterized by durability and high strength. Experts say that products from it will not lose their shape for more than 600 years. He adorned mausoleums, palaces, monuments. The inscriptions and the engraved portrait on the shocks look in contrast.
Kapustinsky granite
This is uneven and coarse-grained, pink-red, bright, massive, highly decorative granite, reviews of which speak of its incredible beauty. The area of use is suitable for the production of pedestals, as well as for other architectural structures, for finishing elements of structures and buildings, in those places where high architectural expressiveness is needed. It was used in the decoration of the Temple of Memory, located on Poklonnaya Gora, Manezhnaya Square. The deposit is in the Kirov region, in Ukraine.
Labradorite
It is a natural stone, which is a mountain of granular crystalline rock. Labradorites appear in magmatic depths. They mainly consist of plagioclase, which is feldspar. The structure of the minerals is crystalline. It is divided into medium-grained and coarse-grained rocks.
Labradorites are a variety of anorthosites. They got the name from their original deposit - the so-called peninsula in Canada. Today, the extraction of this natural stone occurs in other countries, including Ukraine and Finland. There are also large deposits in Russia. The first mineral structures were found in Kievan Rus - then this granite was used as an exclusively facing stone, then monumental buildings began to be finished with them.
Mostly this granite is gray or black. Dark-colored minerals give the stone a beautiful dark shade. The main properties of labradorites are considered to be their frost resistance and high strength. Consequently, these stones are most often used for the exterior decoration of buildings.
In addition, granite is distinguished by structural and texture properties.
Porphyritic
This Ural granite contains elongated or isometric inclusions, which differ from the bulk in size (can reach 10 centimeters). Usually represented by orthoclase, quartz and microcline.
Pegmatoid
This is a granite rock with a uniform characteristic grain size. The size of inclusions of feldspar and quartz is about 3 centimeters.
Finnish granite
This granite is an igneous rock with numerous characteristic rounded inclusions of red orthoclase up to five centimeters in size, surrounded by a border of gray-green or gray oligoclase. The aggregate of orthoclase, plagioclase, hornblende, quartz, and biotite grains is the main mass in it.
Gneissiform
This Ural granite is a uniformly fine-grained ordinary stone with a characteristic roughly parallel orientation of hornblende grains or mica flakes.
Pegmatite granite
One of the most common varieties is considered pegmatite granite, consisting of muscovite, quartz and orthoclase. A characteristic representative of this variety is the so-called written granite, in which feldspar sprouts with small wedge-shaped thin quartz formations.
Leznikovsky granite
Red and pink-red Leznikovsky granite, which received this name by the name of its deposit, is particularly durable and popular. It should be noted that in this way many types of granite are named. For example, red stone - Mezhdurechensky, Simonovsky, Tokovsky, Emelyanovsky, Kapustinsky. But gray granite is Korninsky, Pokostovsky, Zhezhelevsky, Sofievsky.
Rapakivi
Another interesting variety of the mineral is rapakivi. It is a porphyritic formation with a huge content of ovoids.
White granite
White granite is also found. What kind of rock is this, not all can answer right away. This concept is more collective, since white refers to both snow-white stones and other minerals of light shades. Color can vary from pearl gray to light green.
Application
In today's construction, granite is so actively used that it can be called a truly universal material.
Interior Details
Cornices, window sills, railings, plinths, countertops, bar counters, coffee tables, columns, balusters - the high strength of the stone will allow you to order these products from granite, while they remain unharmed for many years.
Stairs, floors
Granite is a material with a low degree of abrasion. If a million people walk up the stairs in your apartment in a year, they can erase its steps by a maximum of 0.12 millimeters.
Interior and facade decoration
Granite is a very ergonomic material that can provide you with a very comfortable stay in the building.
Landscape design
Rockery, Alpine slide, decorative ponds, Japanese gardens made of granite, give your site a unique and natural.
Borders, paving stones for pavements, steps
Granite is used with success in those places where huge endurance is required. The mineral is resistant to chemical contamination, mechanical stress, as well as temperature extremes, since it does not change its properties during many thawing and freezing cycles.
Facing the embankments
Granite hardly absorbs moisture, which means that in the pores of the stone with a decrease in temperature from frozen water there is no internal additional pressure that can lead to the destruction of the rock and the formation of cracks.
Granite paving stones
The use of pavers from this stone is estimated at millennia. Along the ancient Roman cobblestone roads, today you can take a walk; You can find streets of pavers in the old part of every European capital; in the modern world, when the processing of granite by craftsmen does not cause any difficulty, stone roads also gradually come to replace concrete and asphalt.
Magical properties
It may seem at first glance that granite, the photo of which is presented in this article, does not have any magical properties, since in modern apartments and houses it is actively used for interior decoration, which means it carries only an aesthetic component. But there is evidence that this mineral is capable of human life to do the best.
From old granite baths were erected. It has always been the cleanest place in which a person could relax. Here we are talking not only about the attractiveness and external gloss of the stone, but also about the fact that the mineral can protect the room and the person from negative energy.
There is a famous phrase: "Nibble the granite of science." It was not by chance that she came into use. Granite (what kind of rock is meant, doesn’t matter) has the properties of stimulating sociability and mental activity.
Red granite helps a person to find mutual understanding with the world, increases his intuition, while making his owner more responsive and flexible.
Healing properties
Granite, the photo of which can be viewed in our review, has a wide range of healing properties that can alleviate the course of various serious diseases. Among them - pneumonia, asthma, cardiovascular disease, bronchitis.
Stone for colds helps to lower the temperature, has a positive effect on the spine and joints when there are problems with them.
Mascot
Granite is the best mascot for people who have dedicated their lives to pedagogy or science. The mineral sharpenes intuition, strengthens memory, develops rational thinking, etc.
Products made of granite can be wonderful amulets for teachers and teachers, they can help find an approach to stubborn and difficult students, as well as gain credibility with them.
Granite is a mineral with unconditional positive energy, which does no harm to anyone, therefore, it is not worth it to fear.
