When to Refinish, Repair Or Replace Granite Countertops?
Choosing granite over marble and quartz for your home’s countertop has its perks. A granite countertop can last between 10 to 100 years, depending on how well you maintain it. Let’s learn when to refinish, repair or replace your granite countertop. When Should You Refinish/Reseal Granite Countertops? It depends on wear & tear and how … Read more
What Type of Rock Is Granite? Fact Behind Stone You Choose
Granite is a felsic intrusive igneous rock that forms when the magma cools inside the ground. The main constituents of granite are minerals such as quartz, mica, feldspar, and amphibole, also known as hornblende. Some types of granite contain augite in minor quantities and additional ingredients of rutile, zircon, apatite, hematite, and tourmaline. Color variations … Read more
Marble Vs. Granite Vs. Quartz – Cost, Pros, And Cons
Marble, granite, and quartz are the common choices when making or renovating kitchen countertops. These stones are similar in many ways, making it difficult for homeowners to pick the best one. Interestingly, all three are excellent choices with maximum sturdiness and durability. However, they also differ in many aspects. Let’s check out the comparisons between the three in … Read more
Does Quartzite Need to Be Sealed – Things to Know
If you have newly installed quartzite in your bathroom and kitchen countertops, you may have several questions popping into your head. Is it worth installing quartzite countertops in the kitchen? Or What are its unique characteristics? People often confuse quartzite with quartz, but it is another natural stone formed by the metamorphism of sandstone at … Read more
Basalt Rock Type, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Basalt belongs to volcanic igneous rocks family. It is a dark-colored (black, dark green or brown) rock with a fine-grained outlook. Basalt is the most common rock found on earth’ crust. Basalt’s composition is similar to gabbro but gabbro is a coarse-grained rock. Rock Composition The silica (SiO2) content in Basalt is 45%-52%. It also … Read more
Dacite Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Dacite is a volcanic igneous rock. It is a fine-grained rock that is normally light in color and is often considered a quartz-bearing variety of andesite. Rock Composition Dacite is often considered a fine-grained equivalent of granodiorite. It has a generalized mineral composition between rhyolite and andesite. Dacite has more quartz than andesite and more … Read more
Diorite Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock. Its composition is in-between granite and basalt. The rock is usually found as large intrusions, dikes, and sills. Rock Composition Diorite is composed of silicate minerals like plagioclase feldspar (typically andesine), biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. Diorite may also contain trace amounts of microcline, quartz, and olivine. Sulfides, zircon, … Read more
Gabbro Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock with a black or dark-green appearance. The term “Gabbro” was first used in the 1760s to name a newly discovered rock found in ophiolites of the Apennine Mountains in Italy. The rock was named after Gabbro, a hamlet near Rosignano Marittimo in Tuscany, Italy. A famous German geologist, Christian … Read more
Limestone Rock Type, Composition, Formation, & Uses
Limestone is a non-clastic sedimentary rock consisting of more than 50% calcite (a calcium carbonate mineral, CaCO3). Limestone is mostly a biological rock that forms in clear, warm, and shallow marine waters. Limestone exists in various types and colors. Its composition varies slightly from one reserve to another, but all types contain calcium carbonate as … Read more
Shale Rock Type, Color, Composition, Formation, Occurrence, & Uses
Shale is an abundant, fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock. The rock forms when silt and clay-sized mineral particles compress. Its composition and properties place the rock in the “mudstones category.” It is distinguished from other mudstones owing to its fissility and lamination. A rock is said to be laminated when it is made up of numerous … Read more
Sandstone Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence, & Uses
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock. It is the most common sedimentary rock found in sedimentary basins worldwide. Sandstone is sand cemented together into a rock. A sandstone rock can be simply identified by simply looking at it. However, a closer examination reveals an interesting mix-up of sediment, cement, and matrix. Research into this rock … Read more
Rock Salt Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence, Mining & Uses
Rock salt is a sedimentary rock primarily composed of halite. Halite is a mineral of sodium chloride (common salt), NaCl. Rock salt is usually white or colorless. However, impurities in the rock salt can make it appear light blue, pink, purple, yellow, orange, or gray. Colorless salt is rated the purest as it doesn’t contain … Read more
Amphibolite Rock Type, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Amphibolite is a dark-colored, weekly-foliated metamorphic rock that contains plagioclase feldspar and amphibole of the hornblende group. The amphibole is usually green, brown, or black. The rock may also contain metamorphic minerals like garnet, wollastonite, andalusite, staurolite, kyanite, biotite, epidote, and sillimanite. Quartz, magnetite, and calcite are also present in trace amounts in some rocks. … Read more
Gneiss Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed foliated metamorphic rock. It is identified by its bands and lenses of varying mineral composition. Some bands may contain granular minerals bound together in an interlocking texture. Some bands show a parallel orientation with overall banding in the rock because of elongated minerals. Gneiss rock’s texture is defined … Read more
Hornfels Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Hornfels is a non-foliated and very fine-grained metamorphic rock with a variable composition. It is a very hard rock with a mottled brownish color. It is usually found adjacent to igneous intrusion sites at shallow depths. The word Hornfels is often used as a group name for a set of contact metamorphic rocks that have … Read more
Lapis Lazuli Rock Type, Composition, Formation, Occurrence & Uses
Lapis Lazuli, or lapis, is one of the oldest spiritual stones known to mankind. It has been used by healers, priests, royalty, and elites for power, wisdom, and to achieve the inner vision. It is also used for calmness, tranquility, stress relief, and serenity. It is a blue metamorphic rock used as a gemstone, sculpturing … Read more
