GRANITE
Natural Stone
MARBLE
QUARTZITE
(Knowledge from Encyclopaedia Britannica)
SOAPSTONE
MADE BY NATURE
Granite:
..."Coarse- or medium-grained intrusive igneous rock that is rich in quartz and feldspar; it is the most common plutonic rock of the Earth’s crust, forming by the cooling of magma (silicate melt) at depth." - Encyclopaedia Britannica
MADE BY NATURE
Marble:
..."Granular limestone or dolomite (i.e., rockcomposed of calcium-magnesium carbonate) that has been recrystallized under the influence of heat, pressure, and aqueous solutions. Commercially, it includes all decorative calcium-rich rocks that can be polished, as well as certain serpentines (verd antiques)." - Encyclopaedia Britannica
MADE BY NATURE
Quartzite:
..."Sandstone that has been converted into a solid quartz rock. Unlike sandstones, quartzites are free from pores and have a smooth fracture; when struck, they break through, not around, the sand grains, producing a smooth surface instead of a rough and granular one. Conversion of sandstone to quartzite may be accomplished by precipitation of silica from interstitial waters below the Earth’s surface; these rocks are called quartz arenites, whereas those produced by recrystallization under high temperatures and pressures are metaquartzites.." - Encyclopaedia Britannica
MADE BY NATURE
Soapstone:
..."The name soapstone given to compact aggregates of talc and other rock-forming minerals. Dense aggregates of high-purity talc are called steatite." - Encyclopaedia Britannica