Light-Colored Minerals:
* Quartz: Clear to white, can also be smoky grey, milky white, or even pink.
* Feldspar: Typically white to pink, but can also be grey or cream.
* Muscovite: A shiny, silvery-white mica.
Dark-Colored Minerals:
* Biotite: Black to dark brown mica.
* Amphibole: Dark green to black, often with a fibrous appearance.
* Pyroxene: Dark green to black.
How they contribute to color:
* High Quartz content: Leads to a light-colored granite, often white or grey.
* High Feldspar content: Also contributes to light-colored granite, often with pink hues.
* High Dark Mineral content: Creates darker shades of grey, brown, or even black granite.
Other factors:
* Iron content: Can give granite a reddish hue.
* Weathering: Over time, weathering can alter the surface color of granite.
Examples:
* White granite: Predominantly composed of quartz and feldspar.
* Pink granite: Has a high feldspar content, often with some quartz.
* Black granite: Contains a high percentage of dark minerals like biotite, amphibole, or pyroxene.
It's important to note that granite can have a wide range of colors due to the varying mineral compositions.
