Rapakivi granites

Abstract

Rapakivi granites, especially the famous rapakivis from southern Finland, are some of the most attractive building and decorative stones, used world-wide because of their striking textures and beautiful colours. But rapakivi granites are more than just building material, they have also been studied scientifically for over 100 years to try to explain the formation of their plagioclase-mantled alkali feldspar ovoids, the rapakivi feldspars which are responsible for the unique texture of the rock. Despite all the work which has been done on them, the formation of this distinctive texture is still not fully understood. Rapakivi granite complexes are not just a ‘pretty face’, they are also associated with important tin deposits in Rond{ô}nia and Amazonas in Brazil.