Dictionary of Moisture Protection & Restoration

V. STONES – ORIGIN AND USE

Definition of Stone: A stone is any type of rock that has been selected or processed by cutting shaping, or sizing for use as building material or for decorative purposes.

Characteristic of Stone in General: Rocks are the result of a constant and endless cycle that spans hundreds of millions of years. The rocks and their constituent minerals are constantly changing form in a prescribed pattern as traced above. This cycle summarizes the relationship between the different rock forms: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Not all rocks proceed through each step, however. The cycle merely describes the possible avenues of change that rock can follow. James Hutton wrote: “ no vestige of a beginning – no prospect of an end.”

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