Our life is surrounded by natural stones like marble, granite, graphite, etc. ◦ Natural Stone is any rock found in nature that is used for building or decorative purposes and like all rock, it was formed by natural geological processes over thousands, millions or even hundreds of millions of years. ◦ Every piece of natural stone is a wholly unique blend of colors and minerals. Each type of stone will have its own specific properties. India ranks third in terms of global production of natural stones and accounts for an 11 percent share of the global market. Rajasthan is a major contributor to the country's mining output. ◦ Let us take a look at some natural stones that we use in our daily lives.
Granite :- Granite is a hard-edged stone with a beautiful natural grain. If a stone was formed by volcanic activity or melting, we call it a “Magmatic” stone. Granites are an example of the magmatic stone. These stones were formed when liquid magma cooled and became very hard. All granites are also ”Siliceous” stones, which means they are composed from silicates like feldspar, mica, and quartz.
Region and major cities where granite quarried include:-Udaipur, Jalore, Jhansi, Jaipur. On the basis of color granite can be classified into black, red, green, gold, yellow, pink, grey, and blue.
The exact mix and orientation of these crystals, plus the mineral and chemical reactions that took place over millions of years formed all those unique kinds of granite that we see today. As a result of these processes, granite is very hard, resistant to most household chemicals, and often freeze/thaw stable.
The most common types of natural stones:-
Limestone :-Limestone is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2, is an uncommon mineral in limestone, and siderite or other carbonate minerals are rare.
◦ Limestone is commonly white to gray in color. Limestone that is unusually rich in organic matter can be almost black in color, while traces of iron or manganese can give limestone an off-white to yellow to red color.
◦ Over three-fourths of the total limestone of India is produced by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.
Sandstone :- India is a leading country found in Rajasthan and yield different colours and patterns in sandstone highly used in front elevation decorations.
◦ Mint fossils, Agra Red, Ray Green, and Teak known varieties of sandstone sell in domestic as well as international market.
◦ Travertine stone :- Travertine slabs and tiles are a preferred type of natural stone for homeowners and architects with its reasonable cost and quite a wide usage area. With its soft texture and soft colors, Travertine provides a sophisticated look to your home designs. Travertine is classified as a sedimentary stone and is a form of limestone.
◦ The Karur-Kangayam and Hole-Narsipur belts, in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, respectively, are famous throughout the subcontinent for their gemstones, including sapphire, moonstone, iolite, aquamarine, garnet, sunstone and corundum. The city of Karur itself is well known for rubies.
