One of the most workable and usable types of rock for building and memorials is that of Granite. This versatile stone is used in a variety of ways from buildings and kitchen worktops to Granite Headstones. Some of the best examples can be seen at Abbey Memorials Granite Headstones if you are in need of finding one. Here some interesting nuggets of information about this most useful stone.
- Granite is an Igneous rock. This means that it is formed by the cooling of magma that has made its way up through the earth’s surface. This makes it very easy, compared to other rocks to cut and shaped. However it is also extremely hard wearing. It is also known as a plutonic rock because of this.
- It should be hard wearing as Granite is one of the oldest rocks that we know of. It dates back some 300 million years.
- We get the name for Granite from Latin. Granum means coarse grained and if you look at granite you can see that it appears to be that way.
- You get a lot of minerals in Granite such as quartz. This gives it a slightly sparkly quality.
- Granite makes a great building material. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to use it and humans have followed their lead ever since. It is what the statue of Liberty stands on and it is used in the faces of the presidents in Mount Rushmore.
- Not only can granite withstand extremely high temperatures it’s also full of colour as well. This is why it is very popular in kitchen decor.