When it comes to the granite , everyone who know few India stone would remind of the black Galaxy. In the Galaxy of, there is one star that has been shining brightly for over 25 years now. This star is none other than the Indian, “Black Galaxy'. This granite from India is also known by various other names including Star Galaxy, Galaxy, Ongole Galaxy etc. The allure and endurance of this granite has been tremendous over the years with an estimated sale of almost 3 million cubic meters of this material over the years.
The Black Galaxy granite has a black background with gold colored specks in it. The gold specks are due to the presence of ferrous rich Enstatine (Bronzite). The technical geological name for this granite is Gabbric Anorthosite. The material has a hardness of around 4.5 on the Moh's scale which can be termed as moderately hard. The material takes on a very good polish. The ideal use of this material is in interior applications. Black galaxy can be broadly divided into three types based on the size of the gold colored specks:
1. - large specked Black Galaxy
2. - medium specked Black Galaxy
3. - small specked Black Galaxy
Black Galaxy quarries are located in a village by the name of Chimmakurthi in Ongole district in the State of Andhra Pradesh in India. The location is about 350 km north of Chennai. One can reach the quarries by road in around 4 hours or by a convenient train from Chennai (around 6 hours) to Ongole, and then on to the mining areas by road. There are around 44 quarries spread over 400 acres of land. The sizes of the quarries range between 2 and 20 acres each. The quarries are quite mechanized. The equipment in the quarries has been constantly updated and it is common to find the latest mining machinery in operation in the quarries.