Granite general, descriptive field term for lighter-colored, coarse-grained igneous rocks. Petrographic examination is required for identification of specific types of granitoids. The extrusive igneous rock equivalent of granite is rhyolite. Granite is nearly always massive (i.e., lacking any internal structures), hard, and tough. These properties have made granite a widespread construction stone throughout human history. The average density of granite is between , its compressive strength usually lies above 200 MPa, and its viscosity near STP is 3–6·10 Pa·s. The melting temperature of dry granite at ambient pressure is ; it is strongly reduced in the presence of water, down to
Dedham Granite notable building projects in and around Dedham. It was used for St. Mary's Church (1880), St. Paul's Church (1858), Memorial Hall (1868), the Boston and Providence Railroad station (1882), the Dedham Public Library (1888), Trinity Church in Copley Square. There are several pieces of it arraigned decoratively along East Street in Dedham, between High and Avery Streets. These pieces were remnants of the railroad abutment that was dismantled in 2008. Plymouth Rock is also a piece of Dedham Granite, having been moved to the coast by a glacier 20,000 years ago. Dedham Granite Dedham Granite is a light grayish-pink to