Marble

Description

Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when limestone is subjected to the heat and pressure of metamorphism.
It is composed primarily of the mineral calcite (CaCO3) and usually contains other minerals, such as clay minerals,
micas, quartz, pyrite, iron oxides, and graphite. Under the conditions of metamorphism, the calcite in the limestone
recrystallizes to form a rock that is a mass of interlocking calcite crystals.

Properties

Marble is usually a light-colored rock. When it is formed from a limestone with very few impurities, it will be white
in color. Marble that contains impurities such as clay minerals, iron oxides, or bituminous material can be bluish,
gray, pink, yellow, or black in color.

Being composed of calcite, marble has a hardness of three on the Mohs hardness scale. As a result, marble is easy
to carve, and that makes it useful for producing sculptures and ornamental objects. The translucence of marble
makes it especially attractive for many types of sculptures.

Uses

Very few rocks have as many uses as marble. It is used for its beauty in architecture and sculpture. In architecture,
marble is widely used as facing for its appearance and workability. It can be used as floors, walls, stairs, counters,
columns, fountains, and ornamental sculptures.

Slate
Description

Slate is a fine-grained, foliated metamorphic rock that is created by the alteration of shale or mudstone by low-
grade regional metamorphism. Slate is composed mainly of clay minerals or micas, depending upon the degree of
metamorphism to which it has been subjected. The original clay minerals in shale alter to micas with increasing
levels of heat and pressure. Slate can also contain abundant quartz and small amounts of feldspar, calcite, pyrite,
hematite, and other minerals.

Properties

Most slates are gray in color and range in a continuum of shades from light to dark gray. Slate also occurs in shades
of green, red, black, purple, and brown. The color of slate is often determined by the amount and type of iron and
organic material that are present in the rock.

Foliation in slate is caused by the parallel orientation of platy minerals in the rock, such as microscopic grains of clay
minerals and mica. These parallel mineral grain alignments give the rock an ability to break smoothly along planes
of foliation. People exploit this property of slate to produce thin sheets of slate that are used in construction
projects and manufacturing.

Uses

Most of the slate mined throughout the world is used to produce roofing slates. Slate performs well in this
application because it can be cut into thin sheets, absorbs minimal moisture, and stands up well in contact with
freezing water. A disadvantage is the cost of the slate and its installation in comparison with other roofing
materials. As a result, in new construction slate is mainly confined to high-end projects and prestige architecture.

Slate is also used for interior flooring, exterior paving, dimension stone, and decorative aggregate. Small pieces of
slate are also used to make turkey calls.

Phyllite
Description

Phyllite is a foliate metamorphic rock that is made up mainly of very fine-grained mica. It is primarily composed of
quartz, sericite mica, and chlorite. The surface of phyllite is typically lustrous and sometimes wrinkled. It is
intermediate in grade between slate and schist.

Properties

Phyllite has good fissility (a tendency to split into sheets). Phyllites are usually black to gray or light greenish gray in
color. The foliation is commonly crinkled or wavy in appearance.
Uses

Phyllite can be used in construction as a decorative, shiny rock. It is used for countertops and building facades.
Other uses include decorative garden rock and when crushed, it is used as bedding and gravel.

Granite
Description

Granite is a light-colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It forms from the
slow crystallization of magma below Earth's surface. Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor
amounts of mica, amphiboles, and other minerals. This mineral composition usually gives granite a red, pink, gray,
or white color with dark mineral grains visible throughout the rock.

Granite is the best-known igneous rock. Many people recognize granite because it is the most common igneous
rock found at Earth's surface.

Properties

There are two obvious physical properties of granite that determine what it looks like: its texture (the size of the
individual mineral grains) and its color. The variability in these two properties leads to a wide range of the
appearance of granite.

All granite has what is called coarse-grained texture, meaning that the individual mineral grains are visible to the
naked eye.

Uses

Granite is the rock most often quarried as a "dimension stone" (a natural rock material that has been cut into
blocks or slabs of specific length, width, and thickness). Granite has been used for thousands of years in both
interior and exterior applications. Rough-cut and polished granite is used in buildings, bridges, paving, monuments,
and many other exterior projects. Indoors, polished granite slabs and tiles are used in countertops, tile floors, stair
treads, and many other practical and decorative features.

Granite is also used as a crushed stone or aggregate. In this form it is used as a base material at construction sites,
as an aggregate in road construction, railroad ballast, foundations, and anywhere that a crushed stone is useful as
fill.

Schist
Description

Schist is a medium-grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet-like grains in a preferred orientation
(nearby grains are roughly parallel). It is defined by having more than 50% platy and elongated minerals, often
finely interleaved with quartz and feldspar. These lamellar (flat, planar) minerals include micas, chlorite, talc,
hornblende, graphite, and others.

Properties

The resulting foliation is coarser and more distinct than that of slate due to the higher degree of crystallisation of
mica minerals (biotite, chlorite, muscovite) forming larger crystals, and is often referred to as schistosity. These
larger crystals reflect light so that schist often has a high lustre. Due to the more extreme formation conditions,
schist often shows complex folding patterns.

Uses

Schists are generally used as a decorative rock, e.g. walls, gardens etc. The high percentage of mica group minerals
precludes its use in the construction and roading industries.

Basalt
Description

Basalt underlies more of Earth's surface than any other rock type. Most areas within Earth's ocean basins are
underlain by basalt. It is an igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals. It most commonly
forms as an extrusive rock, such as a lava flow, but can also form in small intrusive bodies, such as an igneous dike
or a thin sill.
Properties

Basalt is a fine-grained igneous rock that is usually black in color. The shape, structure and texture of a basalt is
diagnostic of how and where it eruptedwhether into the sea, in an explosive cinder eruption or as creeping
pahoehoe lava flows, the classic image of Hawaiian basalt eruptions.

Uses

Basalt is used for a wide variety of purposes. It is most commonly crushed for use as an aggregate in construction
projects. Crushed basalt is used for road base, concrete aggregate, asphalt pavement aggregate, railroad ballast,
filter stone in drain fields, and may other purposes. Basalt is also cut into dimension stone. Thin slabs of basalt are
cut and sometimes polished for use as floor tiles, building veneer, monuments, and other stone objects.

Gneiss
Description

Gneiss is a foliated metamorphic rock identified by its bands and lenses of varying composition, while other bands
contain granular minerals with an interlocking texture. Other bands contain platy or elongate minerals with
evidence of preferred orientation. It is this banded appearance and texture - rather than composition - that define
a gneiss.

Properties

Although gneiss is not defined by its composition, most specimens have bands of feldspar and quartz grains in an
interlocking texture. These bands are usually light in color and alternate with bands of darker-colored minerals with
platy or elongate habits. The dark minerals sometimes exhibit an orientation determined by the pressures of
metamorphism.

Uses

Gneiss usually does not split along planes of weakness like most other metamorphic rocks. This allows contractors
to use gneiss as a crushed stone in road construction, building site preparation, and landscaping projects.

Some gneiss is durable enough to perform well as a dimension stone. These rocks are sawn or sheared into blocks
and slabs used in a variety of building, paving, and curbing projects.

Some gneiss accepts a bright polish and is attractive enough for use as an architectural stone. Beautiful floor tiles,
facing stone, stair treads, window sills, countertops, and cemetery monuments are often made from polished
gneiss.

Dolomite
Description

Dolomite, also known as "dolostone" and "dolomite rock," is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of the mineral
dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. Dolomite is found in sedimentary basins worldwide. It is thought to form by the
postdepositional alteration of lime mud and limestone by magnesium-rich groundwater.

Properties

Dolomite and limestone are very similar rocks. They share the same color ranges of white-to-gray and white-to-
light brown (although other colors such as red, green, and black are possible). Dolomite is slightly harder than
limestone. Dolomite has a Mohs hardness of 3.5 to 4. Dolomite is also slightly less soluble in dilute hydrochloric
acid than limestone. Calcite will effervesce vigorously in contact with cold, dilute (5%) hydrochloric acid, while
dolomite produces a very weak effervescence.

Uses

Dolomite and limestone are used in similar ways. They are crushed and used as an aggregate in construction
projects. They are kiln-fired in the manufacture of cement. They are cut into blocks and slabs for use as a dimension
stone. They are calcined to produce lime. In some of these uses, dolomite is preferred. Its greater hardness makes
it a superior construction material. Its lower solubility makes it more resistant to the acid content of rain and soil.
Obsidian
Description

Obsidian is an igneous rock that forms when molten rock material cools so rapidly that atoms are unable to arrange
themselves into a crystalline structure. It is an amorphous material known as a "mineraloid." The result is a volcanic
glass with a smooth uniform texture that breaks with a conchoidal fracture.

Properties

Black is the most common color of obsidian. However, it can also be brown, tan, or green. Rarely, obsidian can be
blue, red, orange, or yellow. The colors are thought to be caused mainly by trace elements or inclusions. Luster of
obsidian is vitreous and under Mohs Scale of mineral hardness, it falls under 5 to 5.5.

Uses

The first use of obsidian by people probably occurred when a sharp piece of obsidian was used as a cutting tool.
People then discovered how to skillfully break the obsidian to produce cutting tools in a variety of shapes. Obsidian
was used to make knives, arrowheads, spear points, scrapers, and many other weapons and tools.

In architecture and interior design, obsidian is sometimes used as decorative aggregates and garden decorations.

Quartzite
Description

Quartzite is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock composed almost entirely of quartz. It forms when a quartz-rich
sandstone is altered by the heat, pressure, and chemical activity of metamorphism. These conditions recrystallize
the sand grains and the silica cement that binds them together. The result is a network of interlocking quartz grains
of incredible strength.

Properties

Quartzite is usually white to gray in color. Some rock units that are stained by iron can be pink, red, or purple. Other
impurities can cause quartzite to be yellow, orange, brown, green, or blue.

The interlocking crystalline structure of quartzite makes it a hard, tough, durable rock. It is so tough that it breaks
through the quartz grains rather than breaking along the boundaries between them. The quartz content of
quartzite gives it a hardness of about seven on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

Uses

Quartzite has a diversity of uses in construction, manufacturing, architecture, and decorative arts. It stands up
better to abrasion in stair treads, floor tiles, and countertops. It is more resistant to most chemicals and
environmental conditions. It is available in a range of neutral colors that many people prefer. Although its
properties are superior to many currently used materials, its consumption has always been low for various reasons.

Limestone
Description

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of the mineral
calcite. It most commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow marine waters. It is usually an organic sedimentary rock
that forms from the accumulation of shell, coral, algal, and fecal debris. It can also be a chemical sedimentary rock
formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from lake or ocean water.

Properties

Limestone is usually gray, but it may also be white, yellow or brown. It is a soft rock and is easily scratched. It will
effervesce readily in any common acid.

Limestones may vary greatly in texture and porosity from coquina, which is a matrix of whole or pieces of sea shells
loosely cemented by calcite, to oolitic limestones and microcrystalline limestones whose structures are so fine that
they can be seen only under magnification.

Uses
Limestone is a rock with an enormous diversity of uses. It could be the one rock that is used in more ways than any
other. Most limestone is made into crushed stone and used as a construction material. It is used as a crushed stone
for road base and railroad ballast. It is used as an aggregate in concrete. It is fired in a kiln with crushed shale to
make cement.

Sandstone
Description

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of sand-size grains of mineral, rock, or organic material. It also contains
a cementing material that binds the sand grains together and may contain a matrix of silt- or clay-size particles that
occupy the spaces between the sand grains.

Properties

The color of sandstones varies from red, green, yellow, gray and white. The variation is result of the binding
material and its percentage constituent. It lies between 6 to 7 on Mohs Scale and has a water absorption capacity
that is not more than 1 percent.

Uses

Sandstone is one of the most common types of sedimentary rock and is found in sedimentary basins throughout
the world. It is often mined for use as a construction material or as a raw material used in manufacturing. In the
subsurface, sandstone often serves as an aquifer for groundwater or as a reservoir for oil and natural gas.

Stiltstone
Description

Siltstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of silt-sized particles. It forms where water, wind, or ice deposit
silt, and the silt is then compacted and cemented into a rock.

Siltstone is much less common than sandstone and shale. The rock units are usually thinner and less extensive.
Only rarely is one notable enough to merit a stratigraphic name.

Properties

Siltstone occurs in a wide range of colors. It is usually gray, brown, or reddish brown. White, yellow, green, red,
purple, orange, black, and other colors occur. The color is caused by the composition of the grains, the composition
of the cement that binds them together, and stains produced by contact with subsurface waters.

Uses

Siltstone has very few uses. It is rarely the target of mining for use as a construction material or manufacturing
feedstock. The intergranular pore spaces in siltstone are too small for it to serve as a good aquifer. It is rarely
porous enough or extensive enough to serve as an oil or gas reservoir. Its main use is as a low-quality fill when
better materials are not locally available.

Shale
Description

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles that
we commonly call "mud." This composition places shale in a category of sedimentary rocks known as "mudstones."

Properties

Shale is distinguished from other mudstones because it is fissile and laminated. "Laminated" means that the rock is
made up of many thin layers. "Fissile" means that the rock readily splits into thin pieces along the laminations. The
color of shale is often determined by the presence of specific materials in minor amounts. Just a few percent of
organic materials or iron can significantly alter the color of a rock. Shale also has a very small particle size, so the
interstitial spaces are very small. In fact, they are so small that oil, natural gas, and water have difficulty moving
through the rock.

Uses
Cement is another common material that is often made with shale. To make cement, crushed limestone and shale
are heated to a temperature that is high enough to evaporate off all water and break down the limestone into
calcium oxide and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is lost as an emission, but the calcium oxide combined with
the heated shale makes a powder that will harden if mixed with water and allowed to dry. Cement is used to make
concrete and many other products for the construction industry.

Diorite
Description

Diorite is the name used for a group of coarse-grained igneous rocks with a composition between that of granite
and basalt. It usually occurs as large intrusions, dikes, and sills within continental crust. These often form above a
convergent plate boundary where an oceanic plate subducts beneath a continental plate.

Properties

Diorite has about the same structural properties as granite but, perhaps because of its darker colour and more
limited supply, is rarely used as an ornamental and building material. It is one of the dark gray stones that is sold
commercially as black granite. Diorite has a phaneritic, often speckled, texture of coarse grain size and is
occasionally porphyritic.

Uses

In areas where diorite occurs near the surface, it is sometimes mined for use as a crushed stone. It has a durability
that compares favorably to granite and trap rock. It is used as a base material in the construction of roads,
buildings, and parking areas. It is also used as a drainage stone and for erosion control.

In the dimension stone industry, diorite is often cut into facing stone, tile, ashlars, blocking, pavers, curbing, and a
variety of dimension stone products. These are used as construction stone, or polished and used as architectural
stone. Diorite was used as a structural stone by the Inca and Mayan civilizations of South America and by many
ancient civilizations in the Middle East.

Gabbro
Description

Gabbro is a coarse-grained, dark-colored, intrusive igneous rock. It is usually black or dark green in color and
composed mainly of the minerals plagioclase and augite. It is the most abundant rock in the deep oceanic crust.
Gabbro has a variety of uses in the construction industry. It is used for everything from crushed stone base
materials at construction sites to polished stone counter tops and floor tiles.

Properties

This mineral composition usually gives gabbro a black to very dark green color. A minor amount of light-colored
mineral grains may also be present.

Uses

Gabbro can be polished to a brilliant black luster. Brightly polished gabbro is used to make cemetery markers,
kitchen counter tops, floor tiles, facing stone, and other dimension stone products. It is a highly desirable rock that
stands up to weathering and wear.

In the dimension stone industry, gabbro is sold under the name "black granite." Gabbro is also used to make a
number of rough-cut products such as curbing, ashlars, paving stones, and other products.

The most common use of gabbro is as a crushed stone or aggregate. Crushed gabbro is used as a base material in
construction projects, as a crushed stone for road construction, as railroad ballast, and anywhere that a durable
crushed stone is needed as fill.

Pegmatite
Description

Pegmatites are extreme igneous rocks that form during the final stage of a magmas crystallization. They are
extreme because they contain exceptionally large crystals and they sometimes contain minerals that are rarely
found in other types of rocks.

Properties
The single feature that is diagnostic to all pegmatites is their large size crystal components. Pegmatite bodies are
usually of minor size compared to typical intrusive rock bodies. Pegmatite is made mostly of the minerals feldspar
and quartz which results to colors like white, cream and sometimes pink.

Uses

Pegmatite rock has limited use as an architectural stone. Occasionally it is encountered in a dimension stone quarry
that produces granite for architectural use. If the pegmatite is sound and attractive, it might be cut into slabs and
polished for building facing, countertops, tile or other decorative stone products and sold commercially as a
granite.

Pumice
Description

Pumice is a light-colored, extremely porous igneous rock that forms during explosive volcanic eruptions. It is used
as aggregate in lightweight concrete, as landscaping aggregate, and as an abrasive in a variety of industrial and
consumer products. Many specimens have a high enough porosity that they can float on water until they slowly
become waterlogged.

Properties

Pumice is commonly pale in color, ranging from white, cream, blue or grey, to green-brown or black. The abundant
vesicles in pumice and the thin walls between them give the rock a very low specific gravity. It typically has a
specific gravity of less than one, giving the rock an ability to float on water.

Uses

The largest use of pumice in the United States is the production of lightweight concrete blocks and other
lightweight concrete products. When this concrete is mixed, the vesicles remain partially filled with air. That
reduces the weight of the block. Lighter blocks can reduce the structural steel requirements of a building or reduce
the foundation requirements. The trapped air also gives the blocks a greater insulating value.

The second most common use of pumice is in landscaping and horticulture. The pumice is used as a decorative
ground cover in landscaping and planters. It is used as drainage rock and soil conditioner in plantings. Pumice and
scoria are also popular rocks for use as substrates in hydroponic gardening.

Conglomerate
Description

Conglomerate is a clastic sedimentary rock that contains large (greater than two millimeters in diameter) rounded
clasts. The space between the clasts is generally filled with smaller particles and/or a chemical cement that binds
the rock together.

Properties

Conglomerates has a clastic texture and color varies from brown, beige, to light and dark grey.

Uses

Conglomerate has very few commercial uses. Its inability to break cleanly makes it a poor candidate for dimension
stone, and its variable composition makes it a rock of unreliable physical strength and durability. Conglomerate can
be crushed to make a fine aggregate that can be used where a low-performance material is suitable. Many
conglomerates are colorful and attractive rocks, but they are only rarely used as an ornamental stone for interior
use.

Flint
Description

Flint is a hard, tough chemical or biochemical sedimentary rock that breaks with a conchoidal fracture. It is a form
of microcrystalline quartz that is typically called chert by geologists. It often forms as nodules in sedimentary
rocks such as chalk and marine limestones. Flint is highly resistant to weathering and is often found as pebbles or
cobbles along streams and beaches.

Properties
Flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white or brown in colour, and often has a glassy or waxy appearance. A thin
layer on the outside of the nodules is usually different in colour, typically white and rough in texture.

Uses

Where flint is abundant it is sometimes used as a construction material. It is very durable and resists weathering
better than almost any other natural stone. It is common to see walls, homes, and larger buildings that are built
partially or entirely with flint as a facing stone in southern England and many parts of Europe.