Even if they don't know much about rocks, most folks can name at least one place they have encountered granite; but ask them about other types of rocks, and they may give you a funny look. In everyday life you'll find countertops, headstones, flooring--even whole buildings made of granite. In the natural world it forms random boulders in fields and many of the planet's loftiest peaks. Commonness aside, no two granites are alike; it is a mysterious rock that crystallizes from magma miles and miles below the surface, far beyond the reach of human observation.