 Beauty
Mark |
| A natural occurrence in granite or marble where crystalline
structure differs in size, color, or pattern from the characteristics typically
found in the material. |
| Bluestone |
| A dense, hard fine-grained commonly feldspathic sandstone or
siltstone of characteristic blue, gray, plum, and/or brown colors that splits
readily along original bedding planes to form thin slabs. Bluestone is not a
technical geological term, but is considered to be a variety of flagstone. The
term Bluestone has been applied particularly to sandstones of Devonian age that
is being or has been quarried in eastern New York and Pennsylvania and in
western New Jersey. Similar stones that occur elsewhere may be included. |
| Commercial Definition: A hard
sandstone of characteristic blue, gray, green, and/or plum colors typically
used for flagstone or dimensional stone. |
| Brownstone |
| A sandstone of characteristic brown or reddish-brown color,
which is a result of a prominent amount of iron oxide. |
| Coquina |
| A limestone composed predominantly of unaltered shells or
fragments of shells loosely cemented by calcite, generally very coarse-textured
with a high porosity. The term has been applied principally to a very porous
shell rock of Eocene age that has been quarried in Florida. |
| Fieldstone |
| Stone separated from ledges by natural processes and
scattered through or upon the soil. |
| Fissure |
| A natural cleft in material (usually marble or granite) with
small visible lines on the surface of the polished slab that does not usually
impair structural integrity. |
| Flagstone |
| Thin slabs of stone used for patios, sidewalks, walkways,
etc. Thin stones from stratified deposits as well as thin sawed mill ends are
used for the same purpose. (Flagging). |
| Gneiss |
| A metamorphic rock corresponding in composition to granite. |
| Granite |
| A term that includes granite (a fine to coarse-grained
igneous rock formed by volcanic action consisting of quartz, feldspar, and
mica, with accessory minerals), gneiss, gneissic granite, granite gneiss and
the rock species known to petrologists as syenite, monzonite, and granodiorite,
species intermediate between them, the gneissic varieties and gneisses of
corresponding mineralogic compositions and the corresponding varieties of
porphyritic textures. The term commercial granite also includes other
feldspathic crystalline rocks of similar textures, containing minor amounts of
accessory minerals, used for special decorative purposes. |
| Commercial
definition |
| Granite is a fine to course grained igneous rock, generally
consisting of quartz, feldspar, and rock, formed by volcanic action and cooled
slowly under great pressure. It is the hardest building stone with a very dense
grain, making it virtually impervious to staining. It takes a highly polished
finish that will endure even in inclement environments. There is a broad
spectrum of granite colors ranging from nearly pure white to nearly pure black.
Granite may be infused with other minerals providing patterned "movement" as
well as color. Granite may also be quarried in highly consistent grains, with
very little movement present. |
| Green
Stone |
| Includes stones that have been metamorphosed or otherwise
changed so that they have assumed a distinctive greenish color owing to the
presence of one or more of the following minerals: chlorite, epidote, and
actinolite. Green Stone is an old field term applied to metamorphosed igneous
rock that derived from basalt and other dark volcanic rocks. No present
commercial production is known. |
| Igneous |
| One of the three main classes of rock (igneous, sedimentary,
and metamorphic) solidified from a molten slate. Granite is the igneous rock
most commonly utilized in construction. |
| Limestone |
| A sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate; includes
many varieties, including oolitic limestone, dolomitic limestone, crystalline
limestone. Limestones that contain not more than five percent magnesium
carbonate may be termed calcite limestone, as distinguished from those that
contain between five and forty percent magnesium carbonate (magnesium or
dolomitic limestone), and from those that contain in excess of forty percent as
the mineral dolomite (dolostone, formerly known as the rock dolomite).
Re-crystallized limestones and compact, dense, relatively pure microcrystalline
varieties that are capable of taking a polish are included in commercial
marbles. |
| Commercial Definition: Limestone
is a sedimentary rock composed of calcite and dolomites. Limestone is
non-crystalline and possesses very uniform composition, texture, and structure.
Limestone ranges in color from white to gray and does not take a polish. It
exhibits erosion over time and is subject to discoloration and disintegration. |
| Marble |
| A metamorphic (re-crystallized) limestone composed
predominantly of crystalline grains of calcite or dolomite or both, that has
acquired an interlocking or mosaic texture, most commonly by heat and pressure
during metamorphism. Marble that contains less than five to forty percent
magnesium carbonate, magnesium or dolomitic marble; and more than forty percent
dolomite marble. |
| Commercial Definition: Marble
is a metamorphic rock, composed of metamorphosized limestone. Most marbles are
infused with impurities such as dolomite, silica or clay, providing variations
in color and significant movement. Marble is significantly softer than granite
and, therefore, is subject to greater wear and staining. |
| Metamorphic |
| One of the three main classes of rock. This is rock that has
been altered in appearance, density, or crystalline structure by heat or
pressure into a different type of rock. Slate and marble are metamorphic rocks
most commonly utilized in construction. |
| Metamorphism |
| The change or alteration in a rock caused by external
forces, such as deep-seated heat and pressure. |