Granite is a type of intrusive igneous rock that is predominantly composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica minerals. It is formed when molten magma cools and solidifies beneath the Earth’s surface. Granite is known for its durability, hardness, and distinctive appearance, making it a popular choice for a variety of applications.

Granitization is an old, and largely discounted, hypothesis that granite is formed in place through extreme metasomatism. The idea behind granitization was that fluids would supposedly bring in elements such as potassium, and remove others, such as calcium, to transform a metamorphic rock into granite. This was supposed to occur across a migrating front. However, experimental work had established by the 1960s that granites were of igneous origin. The mineralogical and chemical features of granite can be explained only by crystal-liquid phase relations, showing that there must have been at least enough melting to mobilize the magma.