Sandstone

Sandstone is an arenaceous sedimentary rock composed mainly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour (in a similar way to sand), through grey, yellow, red, and white. Since sandstones often form highly visible cliffs and other rock formations, certain colors of sandstone may be strongly identified with certain regions. For instance, much of the North American West is well-known for its red sandstones.

Related Topics:
Sedimentary rock - Feldspar - Quartz - Sand

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sandstones are often relatively soft and easy to work which therefore make them a common building and paving material.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because of the hardness of the individual grains and uniformity of grain size, and its somewhat friable nature sandstone was the prefered mineral to make grindstones for sharpening blades and other implements.

Related Topics:
Friable - Grindstones

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rock formations that are primarily sandstone usually allow percolation of water, and are porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable aquifers. Fine grained aquifers, such as sandstones, are more apt to filter out pollutants from the surface than are rocks with cracks and crevices such as limestones or other rocks fractured from seismic activity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~