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9 Interesting Facts About Granite You May Not Know

Granite has been used for thousands of years as a construction material, architectural stone, decorative stone, and manufacturing material to build a great variety of products.

Here are 9 interesting facts about granite:

1. Granite is an igneous rock. The rock is named granite because of its grain-like patterns. The term ‘granite’ is derived from a Latin word ‘granum’ which means ‘a coarse grain’.

2. Granite is made of magma or cooling lava. The rock dates back300 million years and is believed to be the oldest igneous rock in the world.

3. Granite’s density is 162 pounds per cubic foot which makes it two times heavier than the same volume of water.

4. You see a white mineral in granite named feldspar. The feldspar is the most abundant rock on the earth. Almost 60% of the earth’s surface comprises of it.

5. Granite has been identified as the second hardest substance in the world. It is runner-up to diamond which has obtained the crown of the hardest substance in the world.

6. The world famous ‘Statue of Liberty’ is made of granite. The statue figures robed women representing Libertas, a Roman liberty goddess. Granite was used to make the statue because of its hardness and high durability.

7. The statue of Liberty is not the only famous monument made of granite. There are many famous monuments made of granite. For example, Avukana Buddha Statue (Sri Lanka), the colossal red granite statue of Amenhotep III, and Mahabalipuram. Granite has been used since the Ancient Egyptians for these purposes.

8. The first commercial railroads in the United States was built to transport granite from Quincy, Massachusetts to a dock on the Neponset River in Milton.

9. Granite products are easy to maintain. They can be given back their original shine by gentle cleaning and polishing.

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