Now I’m sure you’ve heard of Granite before. You’ve probably also seen hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of images showcasing beautifully finished granite kitchen worktops. But have you ever wondered how it gets there? How does it go from an untouched natural resource just beneath the earth’s surface, through to a polished, pristine stone slab, shaped specifically for your kitchen?
Well that’s exactly what we are going to cover in this article! Read on to find out more…
What is granite?
To start let’s take a look at what Granite actually is and how it is formed.
Granite is the best-known igneous rock. It forms overtime from the slow crystallisation of magma just beneath the earth’s surface. The composition of quartz and feldspar often gives granite a red, grey, pink or white colour, with dark mineral grains visible throughout the rock.
It is one of the most well known natural stones in the world and is used for the production of several objects including paving stone, curbing, kitchen worktops, floor tiles and even cemetery monuments. It’s all around us.
The quarrying process
Unlike other natural resources that are found deep within the earth’s core, Granite forms close to the surface and as a result shallow quarries are all that is needed to get the raw granite into manageable small stone blocks for shipment. To do this, small holes are drilled in the shape of the desire block size. Carefully planned explosives are then placed into the holes in order to create blasts big enough to separate the block of granite from the bedrock without breaking the block itself.
Extreme care is taken throughout this whole process in order to ensure safe transfer of the granite, and the safety of the minors working in the stone quarries.