Building stone: the geological dimension

Abstract

Abstract Although the location, planning and operation of building stone quarries is similar in many respects to other industrial minerals, the scale of the operation and the methods used for stone extraction result in significant differences. Restoration and conservation techniques have rarely taken very much account of the petrology of the material to which they were applied. This is now changing. The complex chemical, mineralogical and biological changes involved in the weathering of stone demand a contribution from a multi-disciplinary team working on our cultural property.