Rocksday

Aplite

A pale, fine-grained, sugary granite that fills thin dikes cutting through other granites.

Aplite specimen
Photo: Lysippos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify aplite

  • Thin white or pink veins with sharp edges.
  • Fine, even, sugary grains.
  • Very few dark minerals.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Sierra Nevada, California
  • Granite regions worldwide

Uses

Mostly of geological interest.

Rock tumbling

Great for tumbling.

Did you know?

Aplite and pegmatite often form together in the same dike.

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