granite - hand specimen of typical granite

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock composed primarily of feldspar, quartz and mica. At least 35%of the feldspar is white to pink orthoclase, and quartz is at least 20% of the rock by volume. The mica in this granite is biotite. During the Cretaceous it intruded the Jurassic granodiorite of the Sierra Nevada batholith and forms a light colored mass on the Sierra Nevada eastern slope at Sand Canyon in Kern County, California. Its extrusive equivalents are rhyolite, pumice and tuff. Granites range in color from white, like this one, to pink, with the orthoclase feldspar giving it the characteristic shade. The granodiorite of the batholith is much darker, with dacite its extrusive equivalent. True granites are not common. Elementary hub and secondary students would be correct in calling anything that looks like granite "granitic," and should recognize that an accurate identification is done by experienced geologists and by specialists in petrography. Granitic rocks are a large family and