Granite:

Granite is an important structural and ornamental stone which is extensively used in

construction of dams, bridge piers and sea and river walls etc. Granite is found in variety of
colors such as grey, blue and white is found in various places in India with slight variation in
physical properties. Granite has been extensively used as a dimension stone and as flooring
tiles in public and commercial buildings and monuments.
Group: Plutonic
Essential Minerals: Feldspar and Quartz
Accessory Minerals: Biotite, Hornblende, Amphibole, Pyroxene
Texture: Porphyritic
Colour: Pink, Grey
Specific Gravity: 2.6-2.8
Density: 2.65 – 2.75g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 200MPa
Porosity: less porous
Hardness: 6.5
Toughness: 2.1
Occurrence:
 China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam,
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, USA
Uses:
 Used for tombstones and monuments.
 Used for flooring purposes.
 It is used in interior spaces for polished granite slabs, tiles, benches, tile floors, stair
treads and many other practical and decorative features.

Syenite:
Syenite is a coarse-grained igneous rock which is composed mainly of alkali feldspar and
various ferromagnesian minerals
Group: Plutonic
Essential Minerals: Orthoclase
Accessory Minerals: Palgioclase, Mica, Hornblende, Augite
Texture: Phanertic
Colour: Brown, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Specific Gravity: 2.6-2.7
Density: 2.6 – 2.78g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 150MPa
Porosity: Less porous
Hardness: 5.5-6
Toughness: 1.6
Occurrence:
Syenite is not a common rock. Regions where it occurs in significant quantities include the
following.
 In North America syenite occurs in Arkansas and Montana. Regions in New England
have sizable amounts, and in New York syenite gneisses occur.
 In Europe syenite may be found in parts of Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and
Portugal.
 In Africa there are syenite formations in Aswan, Egypt, and in Malawi in the Mulanje
Mountain Forest Reserve
Uses:
 Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration
 As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office
Buildings
 Curbing
 Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
 Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Diorite:
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of
plagioclase feldspar, biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene
Group: Plutonic
Essential Minerals: Palgioclase Feldspar, Hornblemde,Biotite
Accessory Minerals: Quartz, Microcline,Olivine
Texture: Phanertic
Colour: Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey, White
Specific Gravity: 2.8-3
Density: 2.8 – 3g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 225MPa
Porosity: less porous
Hardness: 6-7
Toughness: 2.1
Occurrence:
 Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA,
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt
Uses:
 can be used as aggregate, fill etc. in the construction and roading industries (often not
ideal for concrete aggregate because of high silica content);
 Cut and polished for dimension stone for building facings, foyers etc.

Gabbro:
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt
Group: Plutonic
Essential Minerals: Palgioclase and Augite
Accessory Minerals: Olivine, Quartz
Texture: Phanertic
Colour: Dark grey to black.
Specific Gravity: 2.86-2.87
Density: 2.7– 3.3g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 225MPa
Porosity: Highly porous
Hardness: 7
Toughness : 1.6
Occurrence:
 India, Russia, South Africa, Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey, Canada, USA,
New Zealand, Queensland
Uses:
 As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving
Stone
 As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction
Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
 Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Pegmatite:
Pegmatites are extreme igneous rocks that form during the final stage of a magma’s
crystallization. They are extreme because they contain exceptionally large crystals and they
sometimes contain minerals that are rarely found in other types of rocks.
Group: Plutonic
Essential Minerals: Quartz, feldspar and mica
Accessory Minerals: Amphibole, pyroxene
Texture: Pegmatitic
Colour: Pink, Greyish White.
Specific Gravity: 2.6-2.63
Density: 2.6– 2.65g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 178.54MPa
Porosity: less porous
Toughness: 2.1
Hardness: 7
Occurrence:
 China, India, Iran, Japan, Nepal, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
South Africa, Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain,
Turkey, Ukraine, Canada, Brazil
Uses:
 Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
 As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone
 Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Dolerite:
It is a dark, heavy, fine grained igneous rock. This is the most commonly found hypabyssal
rock. It is fine grained compared to gabbro and coarse grained compared to basalt. It is also
known as Diabase.
Group: Hypabyssal
Essential Minerals: Palgioclase feldspar and augite
Accessory Minerals: Olivine, Quartz, Biotite
Texture: Aphanitic
Colour: Black, Dark Greenish
Specific Gravity: 2.86-2.87
Density: 2.7– 3.3g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 225MPa
Porosity: Highly porous
Toughness: 1.6
Hardness: 7
Occurrence:
 India, South Africa, Tanzania, Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey, Antarctica,
Greenland, Canada, USA, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Central Australia,
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
Uses:
 Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
 As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction
Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
 Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
 Curbing
Basalt:
Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or
very near the surface of Earth
Group: Volcanic
Essential Minerals: Labradorite, Augite and iron oxides
Accessory Minerals: Olivine, Quartz, Biotite,hornblende
Texture: Porphyritic
Colour: Black, Brown, Grey
Specific Gravity: 2.8-3
Density: 2.9– 3.1g/cm3
Compressive Strength: 174MPa
Porosity: Less porous
Toughness: 2.3
Hardness: 6
Occurrence:
 India, Russia, South Africa, Iceland, Canada, USA, Brazil
Uses:
 Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
 As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
 Curbing
 An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets