Stone : pink granite
Type : plutonic magmatic rock
Age : 300 millions years
Quarry : la Clarté, Perros-Guirrec (Côtes d’Armor)

A Young One

This pink granite forms the outer part of the Ploumanac’h granite complex. It is part of the lineament of “red granites” of the Armorican Massif. These granites, about 300 million years old, are the youngest in Brittany. They stretch from the island of Ouessant in Finistère to Barfleur in the Manche department.

An Icon of Breton Geological Heritage

This granite is the origin of one of Brittany’s main tourist attractions: the famous “Pink Granite Coast” in the Côtes d’Armor department. These coastal landscapes, made up of massive pink granite boulders stacked in a wildly chaotic manner with improbable shapes, captivate visitors. Over 800,000 people visit the Ploumanac’h site each year.

Why Is It Pink?

Clarté granite is a coarse-grained granite, especially rich in large feldspar crystals (potassium feldspars) that range in color from pink to bright red. This coloration is due to the presence of small amounts of iron oxide impurities within these minerals. It also contains quartz and black mica.

The “Rose de la Clarté”

Its commercial name is Rose de la Clarté. This granite is commonly used for memorials (e.g., the General de Gaulle memorial in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises) and funerary furnishings. It is also used for flooring (like on rue de Siam in Brest), building facades (such as the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg), outdoor and indoor fixtures, furniture, and decorative elements.