Granite
Granite slab is an excellent choice for countertops for many reasons:

Granite is extremely scratch resistant. Granite is available in a variety of colors and patterns and in someimes finishes as well. Granite's longevity and unique beauty give it value and aesthetic appeal.

Granite Slabs

About Granite
Despite being fairly common throughout the world, the areas with the most commercial granite quarries are located in the Scandinavian Peninsula (mostly in Finland and Norway), Spain (mostly Galicia and Asturias), Brazil, India and several countries in the South end of the African continent, namely Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Granite is currently known only on Earth where it forms a major part of continental crust. Granite occurs as relatively small, less than 100 km² stock-like masses and as large batholiths often associated with orogenic mountain ranges and is frequently of great extent. Small dikes of granitic composition called aplites are associated with granite margins. In some locations very coarse-grained pegmatite masses occur with granite.

Granite is an igneous rock and is formed from magma. Granite magma has many potential origins but it must intrude other rocks. Most granite intrusions are emplaced at depth within the crust, usually greater than 1.5 km and up to 50 km depth within thick continental crust. Granite has been intruded into the crust of the Earth during all geologic periods; much of it is of Precambrian age. Granite is widely distributed throughout the continental crust of the Earth and is the most abundant basement rock that underlies the relatively thin sedimentary veneer of the continents.

Granites are usually a white, black or buff color and are medium to coarse grained, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their chemistry and mineralogy.

Granite is nearly always massive, hard and tough, and it is for this reason it has gained widespread use as a construction stone.The average density of granite is 2.75 g·cm-3 with a range of 1.74 g·cm-3 to 2.80 g·cm-3.

The word granite comes from the Latin granum, a grain, in reference to the coarse-grained structure of such a crystalline rock.

The granitization theory states that granite is formed in place by extreme metamorphism. The production of granite by metamorphic heat is difficult, but is observed to occur in certain amphibolite and granulite terrains. In-situ granitisation or melting by metamorphism is difficult to recognise except where leucosome and melanosome textures are present in gneisses. Once a metamorphic rock is melted it is no longer a metamorphic rock and is a magma, so these rocks are seen as a transitional between the two, but are not technically granite as they do not actually intrude into other rocks. In all cases, melting of solid rock requires high temperature, and also water or volatiles which act as a catalyst by lowering the solidus temperature of the rock.

Granite quarry

Antiquity
The Red Pyramid of Egypt (c.26th century BC), named for the light crimson hue of its exposed granite surfaces, is the third largest of Egyptian pyramids. Menkaure's Pyramid, likely dating to the same era, was constructed of limestone and granite blocks. The Great Pyramid of Giza (c.2580 BC) contains a huge granite sarcophagus fashioned of "Red Aswan Granite." The mostly ruined Black Pyramid dating from the reign of Amenemhat III once had a polished granite pyramidion or capstone, now on display in the main hall of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (see Dahshur). Other uses in Ancient Egypt,include columns, door lintels, sills, jambs, and wall and floor veneer.

How the Egyptians worked the solid granite is still a matter of debate. Many large Hindu temples in southern India, particularly those built by the 11th century king Rajaraja Chola I, were made of granite. In fact, the amount of granite in them is comparable to the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Modern
Granite has been extensively used as a dimension stone and as flooring tiles in public and commercial buildings and monuments. With increasing amounts of acid rain in parts of the world, granite has begun to supplant marble as a monument material, since it is much more durable. Polished granite has been a popular choice for kitchen countertops due to its high durability and aesthetic qualities. The Black Galaxy granites from the Cheemakurthy area of Andhra Pradesh in India are world-reknowned for their elegance.