GRANITE

The most popular granite used in our area is Elberton Granite.  Elberton granite is a tough, durable rock made up of 3 different minerals.

The most abundant mineral is Feldspar and is white in color.  The light gray color comes from Quartz.  Biotite (also called Black Mica) is the black flake like grains.

Elberton Granite rates near the top of the hardest materials on Earth. Diamonds have a hardness of 10 and Elberton Granite is a 6-7. Marble has a hardness of 3 on the same scale.  See Samples>>

MARBLE

Marble is simply limestone that has been compressed within the Earth. While Granite was originally molten rock, marble was not. It was instead heated and squeezed limestone.

Marble is made up of only one mineral, Calcite. Calcite is the same material that seashells are made of and is not present in Granite.  See Samples>>

Source: Elberton Granite Association, Inc.