A type of metamorphic rock formed under extremely high heat and pressure deep in the Earth's crust, characterized by fine-grained texture.
From 'granule' (small grain) plus the mineralogical suffix '-lite' (stone), coined in the 19th century as geologists classified metamorphic rocks by their texture.
Granulites are like the Earth's pressure cooker products—they form only where continental plates collide, so finding granulite deposits tells geologists where ancient mountain-building events occurred, essentially reading the planet's geological autobiography.
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