Designers are more frequently being asked to identify green building materials, but do not always have the needed information. Using the life-cycle data, material fact sheets describing several stone types are being generated to provide useful information in this selection process, among other information. The one-page (double-sided) documents will summarize the current market for stone, regions of deposits worldwide, physical properties, applicable ASTM standards, as well as environmental data and human health considerations. These will be provided here as they are made ready.
Characteristics of quarried stone are dependent upon the attributes of the deposit from which the stone was extracted; each quarry is able to offer a range of products unique in dimensions, color, and structural properties to its deposit. Therefore, it is preferable that the designer and stone supplier collaborate closely prior to and throughout the design process since planning a project around readily available stone reduces the environmental impact of raw material extraction. Nevertheless, the most common dimensions of granite on the market are as follows:
BLOCKS: Maximum size of 8′ x 5′ x 5′
SLABS: Maximum size of 8′ x 5′ with thickness of 2-3cm
FORMATION & SOURCES
Granite is an igneous rock that forms when magma cools slowly beneath the earth’s surface, forming large, easily visible crystals of quartz, feldspar, and mica. Scientifically, an intrusive (plutonic) igneous rock must contain between 10% and 50% quartz to be classified as granite, but other similar stones such as gabbro, diabase, anorthosite, sodalite, gneiss, and basalt are sometimes sold as “granite” commercially. The granite quarried in North America comes mainly from the eastern and upper Midwest United States, but quarries can be found from coast to coast
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