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
El Capitan Granite north and south, to a western limit near Cookie Cliffs. All of Turtleback Dome, El Capitan, The Three Brothers, and Cathedral Rocks are made of El Capitan Granite as is Elephant Rock. El Capitan Granite makes up most the granite found in the west half of the Yosemite Valley area. El Capitan Granite intruded older plutonic rocks about 103 Ma, during the Cretaceous Period. El Capitan Granite El Capitan Granite is a type of granite (also see granodiorite), in a large area near El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. The granite forms part of the Tuolumne Intrusive