RocksdayGranite vs Unakite
How to tell them apart
A coarse-grained rock that cooled slowly deep underground, made of quartz, feldspar and mica or hornblende.
Photo: The stone gate, CC BY-SA 4.0
An altered granite of pink feldspar, pistachio-green epidote and clear quartz.
Photo: Tom Harpel from Seattle, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
Key differences
- Granite is pink, gray and black — no green.
Side by side
| Property | Granite | Unakite |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Igneous rock | Metamorphic rock |
| Mohs hardness | 6–7 | 6–7 |
| Luster | Granular, sparkly | Granular |
| Colors | Pink, Gray, White, Black | Pink, Green |
| Crystal system / structure | Coarse-grained (phaneritic) | Altered granite |
| Specific gravity | 2.63–2.75 | 2.8–3.2 |
| Found in | Sierra Nevada, California; Stone Mountain, Georgia | Unaka Mountains, North Carolina–Tennessee; Virginia |
Properties that are the same for both are grayed out.
How to identify granite
- Speckled with interlocking grains you can see without a lens.
- Glassy gray quartz plus pink or white blocky feldspar.
- Black specks of mica or hornblende.
- Hard, with no layering or banding.
Structure: Coarse-grained (phaneritic)
Full Granite guide →How to identify unakite
- Mottled pink and green.
- Granite-like texture.
- Hard; takes a good polish.
Structure: Altered granite
Full Unakite guide →More comparisons
Could you tell them apart from a blurry close-up?
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