I was at a friends house that had incredible granite counter tops. THey must have spent at least 15 - 20 thousand because of the sq. ft they had. Any way it was Thanksgiving and they took the turkey out of the oven and set it on the rounded end of a counter. In a few minutes all you heard was this loud snap and crash .... the rounded end that cantilevered over the end of the island snapped off and fell to the floor. The heat transferred caused a rapid expansion of the granite. All of those colors are different minerals, that react differently to heat.
I would pick quartz. the minerals are bonded together with a polymer that gives it strength.