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What is Natural Stone?

• Sedimentary

• Metamorphic

• Igneous

BASIS OF STONE FORMATION

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What is Natural Stone?SEDIMENTARY FORMATION

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What is Natural Stone?METAMORPHIC FORMATION

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What is Natural Stone?IGNEOUS FORMATION

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Sedimentary Metamorphic Igneous

Calcareous

LimestoneTravertineOnyx

MarbleSerpentine

Siliceous SandstoneSlate

QuartziteGranite

What is Natural Stone?STONE SPECIES

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• A sedimentary rock consisting chiefly of the mineral calcite, (CaCO3) with or without

magnesium carbonate

• Dolomite– Calcium Magnesium Carbonate CaMg(CO3) 2

Natural Stone TypesCALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY: LIMESTONE

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Natural Stone TypesCALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY: LIMESTONE

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Natural Stone Types

• A finely crystalline, massive deposit of calcium carbonate, of white, tan, or cream color, formed by chemical precipitation from solution in surface and ground waters, as around the mouth of springs, especially hot springs

CALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY: TRAVERTINE

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Natural Stone TypesCALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY: TRAVERTINE

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Natural Stone Types

• A compact, cryptocrystalline, and generally translucent variety of calcite, usually deposited in cold water solutions, often in the form of stalagmites and stalactites in caves

CALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY: ONYX

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Natural Stone TypesCALCAREOUS SEDIMENTARY: ONYX

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Natural Stone Types

• A metamorphic rock consisting of fine to coarse-grained re-crystallized calcite and/or dolomite

• Varying levels of soundness– A, B, C, D (Ref: MIA Design Manual)

CALCAREOUS METAMORPHIC: MARBLE

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Natural Stone TypesCALCAREOUS METAMORPHIC: MARBLE

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Natural Stone Types

• A rock group made up principally of the mineral serpentine (Mg, Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4. Serpentines have a greasy or silky luster, a slightly soapy feel, and a tough, conchoidal fracture; they are usually compact but may be granular or fibrous and are commonly a green or greenish gray.

CALCAREOUS METAMORPHIC: SERPENTINE

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Natural Stone TypesCALCAREOUS METAMORPHIC: SERPENTINE

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Natural Stone Types

• A classic sedimentary rock composed of grains of sand size (1/16 mm to 2 mm ø) set in a matrix of silt or clay and united by a cementing material, commonly silica, iron oxide, or calcium carbonate- the sand particles are commonly quartz

SILICEOUS SEDIMENTARY: SANDSTONE

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Natural Stone TypesSILICEOUS SEDIMENTARY: SANDSTONE

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Natural Stone Types

• A compact, microcrystalline metamorphic rock, usually formed from shale deposits

SILICEOUS METAMORPHIC: SLATE

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Natural Stone TypesSILICEOUS METAMORPHIC: SLATE

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Natural Stone Types

• A metamorphic rock consisting mainly of quartz, formed by recrystallization of sandstone by regional or thermal metamorphism

SILICEOUS METAMORPHIC: QUARTZITE

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Natural Stone TypesSILICEOUS METAMORPHIC: QUARTZITE

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• Geological Definition: A plutonic rock in which quartz makes up 10 to 50 per cent of the felsic components, and the alkali feldspar to total feldspar ratio is between 65 and 90 per cent

• Commercially: Any holocrystalline quartz-bearing plutonic rock

Natural Stone TypesSILICEOUS IGNEOUS: GRANITE

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Natural Stone TypesSILICEOUS IGNEOUS: GRANITE