Glossary of Natural Stone

ABSORTION
Action of absorbing

ABRASION TEST
Physical-Mechanical characteristic of rocks, whose value is calculated in milimeters.

 

ALABASTER
Variety of thin limestone, zonal, translucid, normally designed as Alabastrino ou Alabaster Marble.

 

ANTI-FILTERING
Chemical products that are applied in stones.

 

ANTI-STAINS
Chemical products that are applied in stones in order to avoid stains.

 

ANTIOXIDANT
Chemical products that are applied in stones in order to avoid oxidation.

 

ANTI-GRAFFITI
Chemical products that are applied in stones in order to avoid drops of any material.

 

BASALT
Extrusive stone with volcanic origin very hard, with dark colour.

 

BASIC
Stone containing silica between 45% and 52%.

 

BENDING STRENGHT
Physical-Mechanical characteristic of rocks, whose value is calculated in MPa or Kg⁄cm².

 

BRECHA
Sedimentary stone that is composed by fragments of natural aglomeration, layered by calcite ou silica.

 

BRITTLE
That brakes easily, fragile.

 

CALCITE
Mineral composed by calcium carbon (CaCO3).

 

CLASTIC ROCKS
Stones composed by fragments previously existing that were produced by change and erosion, e in general transported to a place where it was settled.

 

CHEMICAL ROCKS
Sedimentary stones in which there were chemical reactions.

 

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
Physical-Mechanical characteristic of rocks, whose value is calculated in MPa or Kg⁄cm².
 

CRISTALINE
Stone composed by cristals or with transparency.

 

DENSITY
Quality of what is dense; quantity that exists in a determined unit of volume, lenght or surface; thickness.

 

DIÁCLASE
Natural fracture in a rocky bloc, without having displacement along it.

 

EXTRUSIVE ROCKS
Igneous stone that are brought to the surface of the Earth in conditions of melted product.

 

FAULT
Fracture in the rocky mass, with vertical and horizontal displacement.

 

FRACTURE
Defect or fracture in a rock.

 

FOSSILE
All and any animal or vegatal remainings from past times that show up integrated in the stones whose formation was contemporary with it.

 

FRAGMENT
Portion of a broken thing, piece, fraction.

 

GEOGRAPHY
Study of the distribution at the surface of the Globe of physical phenomenons; bilogical and human intepretation of the causes of such distribution and local relations of these phenomenons; description and interpretation of the genesis and evolution of physical shapes and the human origin of the earth surface.

 

GEOLOGY
Science that study the structure of the Earth, the materials that compose it, its nature, shape and origin.

 

GNAISSE
Metamorphical stone originary from lime, argile schisto, granite with a greyish colour and dark colour grain.

 

GRAIN
Rounded body of the stone.

 

GRAIN SIZE
Mediu dimension of grains or cristals in a stone.

 

HARDNESS
Quality or property of what is hard, solid.

 

HYPABYSSAL ROCKS
Igneous stones that cristalized under intermedium conditions between the plutonic and volcanic time.

 

IGNEOUS ROCKS
Stone formed by the solidification of merged material (magma).

 

INTRUSIVE ROCKS
Igneous stones that cristalized at a deep level in chambers or between layers of others stones.

 

IMPERMEABILITY
Quality of what is impermeable.

 

IMPACT TEST
Physical-Mechanical characteristic of rocks, whose value is calculated in centimeters or joules.

 

LIMESTONE
Stone consituted by carbonats. The two most important are calcite and dolomite.

 

METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Includes all those that were formed from the pattern rock or pre existing rock by metamorfosys.

 

MONOLITHIC
Construction or monument of a single stone, whose symbolism is unknown; stones of large dimension.
 

NEUTRAL
Igneous stone having more than 52% and less than 66% of silica.

 

ORIGIN CERTIFICATE
Document that is a certificate of origin of the product.

 

ONIX
Zonal mineral, coloured with a blant tone (cristalized silica), that is considered a variety of fine agathe.

 

ORGANIC ROCKS
Sedimentary rocks formed by the sedimentation of organic residues.

 

PUMICE STONE
Eruptive stone or magmatic with a vitreous texture, with low density, also known as pomito, used to polish or clean, and in some regions is used as a construction material for coverings and external pavings.

 

POROSITY
Quality of porosity.

 

PROSPECTION
Action of prospecting; research, geological and mining work aimed at knowing the economic value of a mining region or specific area; Act of studying new markets.

 

QUARTZITE
Metamorphical stone that is composed by quartzo grains connected by a silicone cement.

 

RAW MATERIAL
Product; product designation; material in natural stage.

 

RESISTENCE TO ICE
It is defined by the number of cycles that the stone resists to the icing, considered as one of the main reasons for failing, the loss of bending strenght > 20%, the loss of volume in more than 1%. For such test, cycles of ice test exposed to the air (-12.5ºC) and in water (+20ºC) should be done.

 

SLIPPAGE TEST
Physical-mechanical test.

 

SOLID MATERIALS
Products with much thickness.

 

SCHISTONE
Stone composed by minerals arranged in parallel layers; ex: ardoise, schisto.

 

STRUCTURE
The composition, construction, organization and arquitectural disposal of a building; composition; system.

 

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Stones formed by the acummulation of sediments in water and air.

 

SOLETO
Thin slab of ardoise.

 

SLIP RESISTENCE
This resistance is obtained by the friction between the paving and a balance device (defined in EN 1341 and 14231).

 

THICKNESS
Dimension of the width of slabs, tiles, etc.
 

TINY CHINK
Fracture so small that is just visible when the stone is humid.

 

TRAVERTINE
Sedimentary stone, carboned, of chemical origin, where the limestone is distributed in layers, in a compact whole.

 

VENT
Very thin fracture that can just be seen when the blocs are sawn.

 

VEIN
Thin mineral body in relation to other dimensions, that goes along some stones.

 

VOLCANIC ROCKS
Category of igneous stones that were ejected to the earth surface or close to it.