Decomposed granite of silica sand, silt particles, and clay. Different specific granite types have differing propensities to weather, and so differing likelihoods of producing decomposed granite. The parent granite material is a common type of igneous rock that is granular, with its grains large enough to be distinguished with the unaided eye (i.e., it is phaneritic in texture); it is composed of plagioclase feldspar, orthoclase feldspar, quartz, mica, and possibly other minerals. The chemical transformation of feldspar, one of the primary constituents of granite, into the clay mineral kaolin is one of the important weathering processes. The presence of clay allows water
Granite spiny lizard Granite spiny lizard The granite spiny lizard (Sceloporus orcutti) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard. The epithet, "orcutti", honors American naturalist Charles Russell Orcutt (1864–1929), who collected the type specimen in San Diego County, California. It is endemic to southern California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. The granite spiny lizard is snout-to-vent length. Maximum total length including the tail is . Its dorsal scales are strongly keeled and pointed on its body and tail. It has a wide purple mid-dorsal stripe. The males of the species have yellow-green and blue-centered scales on the body; juveniles and