@dragonmom – no apologies needed for the geology explanation.
I figured there had to have been some reason that I have gotten away with not sealing my countertops for twenty years.
Would sealing have prevented the slight pitting I had in the daily work area? Total countertops were perhaps 90 sq feet of stone and the pitted area is perhaps 18 inches by 18 inches, max.
The only other real damage is the nicks caused by whacking a heavy Pyrex dish against the sink edges or on the way to the dishwasher.