A dike is an intrusion into a cross-cutting fissure. This means that a dike cuts across other pre-existing layers of rock. A dike is always younger than the rocks that contain it. Dikes are usually in a high angle to near vertical in orientation. Subsequent tectonic deformation can rotate the sequence of strata through which the dike lies so that the it later becomes horizontal. Near horizontal intrusions along bedding planes between strata are called intrusive sills. Granite has been intruded into the crust, outer layer, of the Earth during all of its geologic periods. Granite is widely distributed throughout the continental crust of the Earth and is the most abundant basement rock that underlies the sedimentary covering of the continents. Granite is ancient and aesthetically pleasing when used as a granite counter top.
Granite is an igneous rock. Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock cools and solidifies. This can happen with or without crystallization. This can also happen either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks. This magma can be derived from either the Earth's mantle or pre-existing rocks made molten by extreme temperature and pressure changes. Granite magma has many potential origins but it must intrude other rocks.
Most granite intrusions are at depths within the Earth’s crust that is usually greater than 1.5 kilometers and can be up to 50 kilometers deep within the thick continental crust. No one can agree on the origins of granite and this disagreement has led to lots of ways to classify it. The ways to classify granite are basically regional. There is a French way, a British way and even an American way. Generally, the classification knows as the “alphabet soup” classification is used because it classifies granite based on the origin of the melt. These classifications are used by geologist and not usually used by consumers shopping for granite counter tops.
Granite is not only used for granite counter tops. It was also used in Antiquity for projects as large and well known as the historic Red Pyramid in Ancient Egypt. The Red Pyramid was named for the color of its exposed granite surfaces. Another pyramid in Egypt, the Menkaure's Pyramid, was constructed using granite blocks and limestone blocks. The historical significance of using granite in modern structures is not always readily apparent. Granite has just proven itself over time to be a sound material. Using granite for granite counter tops is a wise choice.
