Acid rain: The facts, 1988: available from Inquiry Centre, Environment
Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0H3.
Amoroso, G.G., and Fassina, V., 1983, Stone decay and conservation: New
York, Elsevier, 453 p.
Hannibal, J.T., and Park, L.E., 1992, A guide to selected sources of
information on stone used for buildings, monuments, and works of art:
Journal of Geological Education, v. 40, p. 12-24.
Pickering, R.J., 1987, Acid rain: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File
Report 87-399.
U.S. Geological Survey, Building stones of our Nation’s Capital: Reston,
Va., U.S. Geological Survey general-interest publication.
Winkler, E.M., 1973, Stone: Properties, durability in man’s environment:
New York, Springer-Verlag, 230 p.
[Illustration: Limestone]
[Illustration: Marble]
[Illustration: Sandstone]
[Illustration: Granite]
Photographs by the author · Edited by Kathleen Gohn · Publication design
by Elizabeth Junek
★ U.S. Government Printing Office: 1995-394-904
What Type of Rock is It?
Look at the overall appearance of the stone in the building. Observe
the color, texture, and structure of the stone.
Does the stone look evenly colored, with an even texture?
YES ⇒ Look at the grains up close. Do you see fossil fragments (bits
of shells or skeletons)?
YES ⇒ LIMESTONE
NO ⇒ Are the grains rounded, like sand on the beach?
YES ⇒ SANDSTONE
NO ⇒ {same as next line}
NO ⇒ Do you see streaks or clouds of color in a mostly white stone?
YES ⇒ MARBLE
NO ⇒ Look at the grains up close. Do you see a mixture of colors
(black, white, gray, maybe pink or red)?
YES ⇒ GRANITE
NO ⇒ MARBLE
Some of these stones may have layers that were the original beds
that formed the stones.
[Illustration: LIMESTONE]
[Illustration: SANDSTONE]
The grains in these rocks may look like crystals that fit together
like jigsaw puzzle pieces.
[Illustration: MARBLE]
[Illustration: GRANITE]
[Illustration: Department of the Interior · March 3, 1849]
As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the
Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public
lands and natural and cultural resources. This includes fostering sound
use of our land and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife, and
biological diversity; preserving the environmental and cultural values
of our national parks and historical places; and providing for the
enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses
our energy and mineral resources and works to ensure that their
development is in the best interests of all our people by encouraging
stewardship and citizen participation in their care. The Department also
has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities
and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.
This publication is one of a series of general interest publications
prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide information about the
earth sciences, natural resources, and the environment. To obtain a
catalog of additional titles in the series “General Interest
Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey,” write:
U.S. Geological Survey
Information Services
P.O. Box 25286
Denver, CO 80225