About Sandstone

Sandstone is a coarse-grained sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation and compaction of sand and held together by a natural cement, such as silica. An extremely hard and tough material, it consists of consolidated masses of sand deposited by moving water or by wind. Largely the cementing material often determines the color of the rock, iron oxides causing reddish-brown or red sandstone, and the other materials producing white, yellowish, or grayish sandstone.

 

Chemical Composition
The chemical constitution of sandstone is the same as that of sand; the rock is thus composed essentially of quartz. The cementing material that binds together the grains of sand is usually composed of silica, calcium carbonate, or iron oxide.

 

Distinctive Features
Natural Sandstone is typically the youngest of the quartz-based stones, with each stone having a different level of porosity, hardness and compressive strength. The colors of the stone are very variable and vary from red, brown, greenish, yellow to grey and white. The texture of sandstone is noteworthy. It is medium-grained, with well-sorted grains of about the same size. The grains are usually sub angular to rounded.

 

A Medium for Handicrafts
Sandstones are suitable for domestic and commercial use. Owing to its natural beauty, sandstone rocks is used for interior as well as exterior decoration. The architectural properties of natural sandstone make it a suitable medium used to clad walls and floors and churn out an enamoring range of handcrafted artifacts such as garden ornaments, sculptures and other decorative items.

 

Origin of Sandstone
Sandstone is a type of sedimentary rock. It is made up of particles of preexisting rocks and minerals. These particles are usually igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks or even other sedimentary rocks.

 

Sandstones are originally clastic. They are generally found under seabed, riverbed, or under desert areas. Under the influence of some type of current (wind, waves, flowing water, or glacier) the layer of particles starts depositing one above another. They are composed of fragments or particles of older rocks or previously existing solid matter. The cement binding these grain are especially silica, calcites and clays.

 

Types of Sandstone
Sandstone can be broadly categorized into three groups:

 

Uses of Sandstone
Sandstones are used for variety of purposes. They are mainly used in paving, roofing, flooring etc. They are also used in making beams, pillars, doors and window sills, wall facing, fence posts etc.