Stone

Stone, inorganic mineral or soil concretion of Earth, of sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic origin, commonly used in building, civil engineering, manufacturing, and art (see Igneous Rock; Sedimentary Rock). Some of the building stones are basalt, flint, granite, limestone, marble, porphyry, sandstone, slate, and flagstone. Ornamental stones, other than precious stones or gems (see Gemstones), include alabaster, fluorite, jade, jasper, lapis lazuli, labradorite, and malachite. Mexican onyx marble (cave-deposited travertine, composed of calcite and aragonite) and Algerian onyx marble, less handsomely colored, are relatively recent additions to the ornamental stones, as is the jasperized wood of Arizona.

The principal sources of American marble have included the states bordering the Appalachian Mountains, particularly Vermont, Massachusetts, western Connecticut, eastern New York, Georgia, and eastern Tennessee. In the United States, various stone-removal operations account for a smaller percentage of the land affected by surface mining than operations for coal, sand, and gravel extraction (see Mining). For the different methods used to extract stone, see Quarry and Quarrying.

See also Building Construction; Geology; Mineral; Sculpture.