Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed Slot canyon in the American Southwest. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic lowlying areas - washes rivers and streams Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Sand is a naturally occurring Granular material composed of finely divided rock and Mineral particles A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific Particle size, also called grain size, refers to the Diameter of individual grains of Sediment, or the lithified particles in Clastic Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Quartz (from German) is the most abundant Mineral in the Earth 's Continental crust (although Feldspar is more common in Feldspar is the name of a group of rock-forming Minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth 's crust. In Geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, gray and white. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions. Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets

Some sandstones are resistant to weathering, yet are easy to work. Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. This makes sandstone a common building and paving material. For other kinds of building materials see Hardware, Biology, Star formation. Because of the hardness of the individual grains, uniformity of grain size and friability of its structure, sandstone is an excellent material from which to make grindstones, for sharpening blades and other implements. Friability means the ability to reduce a Solid substance into smaller pieces with little effort A grindstone is a tool used for grinding or sharpening tools Early grindstones were made from Sandstone, often in the shape of a wheel so that they could be rotated Non-friable sandstone can be used to make grindstones for grinding grain, e. g. , gritstone. Gritstone — otherwise called Millstone grit — is a Sedimentary rock composed of coarse sand grains with inclusions of small stones

Rock formations that are primarily sandstone usually allow percolation of water and are porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable aquifers. In Physics, Chemistry and Materials science, percolation concerns also the movement and filtering of fluids through porous materials Porosity is a measure of the void spaces in a material and is measured as a fraction between 0–1 or as a Percentage between 0–100% An aquifer is an underground layer of Water -bearing Permeable rock or unconsolidated materials ( Gravel, Sand, Silt, or Clay Fine-grained aquifers, such as sandstones, are more apt to filter out pollutants from the surface than are rocks with cracks and crevices, such as limestones or other rocks fractured by seismic activity. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer

Origins of Sandstone

Sandstone near Stadtroda, Germany

Millet-Seed Sandstone Macro (~ 4 cm in size)

Sandstones are clastic in origin (as opposed to organic, like chalk and coal, or chemical, like gypsum and jasper). Stadtroda (Roda until 1925 is a town of 6293 people located in Thuringia, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Clastic rocks are composed of fragments or clasts, of pre-existing rock. Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. Gypsum is a very soft Mineral composed of Calcium sulfate dihydrate with the Chemical formula Ca[[sulfur S]] O 4·2 JasPer is a project to create a reference implementation of the codec specified in the JPEG-2000 Part-1 standard (ie They are formed from cemented grains that may either be fragments of a pre-existing rock or be mono-minerallic crystals. In Materials science, a crystal is a Solid in which the constituent Atoms Molecules or Ions are packed in a regularly ordered repeating The cements binding these grains together are typically calcite, clays and silica. Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and The Chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica or silox (from the Latin " Silex " is an Oxide Grain sizes in sands are in the range of 0. Particle size, also called grain size, refers to the Diameter of individual grains of Sediment, or the lithified particles in Clastic 1 mm to 2 mm (clays and rocks with smaller grain sizes including siltstones and shales are typically called argillaceous sediments; rocks with larger grain sizes including breccias and conglomerates are termed rudaceous sediments). Siltstone is a Sedimentary rock which has a composition intermediate in grain size between the coarser Sandstones and the finer Mudstones and Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by Argillaceous minerals appear silvery upon optical reflection and are Minerals containing substantial amounts of Clay -like components (ἄργιλλος = clay Breccia (ˈbrɛtʃiə ˈbrɛʃiə breach is a rock composed of angular fragments of several Minerals or rocks in a matrix, that is a cementing material A conglomerate (kɒnˈglɒmərət is a rock consisting of individual stones that have become cemented together

The formation of sandstone involves two principal stages. First, a layer or layers of sand accumulates as the result of sedimentation, either from water (as in a river, lake, or sea) or from air (as in a desert). Sedimentation describes the motion of Molecules in Solutions or particles in suspensions in response to an external force such as gravity Typically, sedimentation occurs by the sand settling out from suspension, i. e. , ceasing to be rolled or bounced along the bottom of a body of water (e. g. , seas or rivers) or ground surface (e. g. , in a desert or sand dune region). Finally, once it has accumulated, the sand becomes sandstone when it is compacted by pressure of overlying deposits and cemented by the precipitation of minerals within the pore spaces between sand grains. Compaction (geology refers to the process by which a Sediment progressively loses its Porosity due to the effects of loading The most common cementing materials are silica and calcium carbonate, which are often derived either from dissolution or from alteration of the sand after it was buried. Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Colors will usually be tan or yellow (from a blend of the clear quartz with the dark amber feldspar content of the sand). A predominant additional colorant in the southwestern United States is iron oxide, which imparts reddish tints ranging from pink to dark red (terra cotta), with additional manganese imparting a purplish hue. Altogether there are sixteen known Iron Oxides and oxyhydroxides Terra cotta ( Italian: "baked earth" is a Ceramic. Its uses include vessels water & waste water pipes and surface embellishment in Building construction Manganese (ˈmæŋgəniːz is a Chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. Red sandstones are also seen in the Southwest and West of England and Wales, as well as central Europe and Mongolia. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Deposition from sand dunes can be recognized by irregular and fluidly shaped weathering patterns and wavy coloration lines when sectioned, while water deposition will form more regular blocks when weathered. The regularity of the latter favors use as a source for masonry, either as a primary building material or as a facing stone, over other construction. Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar, and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves

The environment where it is deposited is crucial in determining the characteristics of the resulting sandstone, which, in finer detail, include its grain size, sorting and composition and, in more general detail, include the rock geometry and sedimentary structures. Principal environments of deposition may be split between terrestrial and marine, as illustrated by the following broad groupings:

• Terrestrial environments

1. Rivers (levees, point bars, channel sands)
2. Alluvial fans
3. Glacial outwash
4. Lakes
5. Deserts (sand dunes and ergs)

• Marine environments

1. Deltas
2. Beach and shoreface sands
3. Tidal flats
4. Offshore bars and sand waves
5. Storm deposits (tempestites)
6. Turbidites (submarine channels and fans)

Types of sandstone

Sandstone composed mainly of quartz grains

Once the geological characteristics of a sandstone have been established, it can then be assigned to one of three broad groups:

• arkose or arkosic sandstones, which have a high (>25%) feldspar content and a composition similar to granite. In geology sedimentary depositional environment describes the combination of physical chemical and biological processes associated with the deposition of a particular type of sediment "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there Dike (constructionEmbankmentA levee, levée, dike (or dyke) embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial An alluvial fan is a fan -shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing Stream flattens slows and spreads typically at the exit of a Canyon onto A sandur (plural sandar is a glacial outwash Plain formed of Sediments deposited by meltwater at the terminus of a Glacier. A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes. An erg (also sand sea or dune sea) is a large relatively flat area of Desert covered with Wind -swept Sand with little to no vegetation A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river Mudflats (also tidal flats, tide flats, etc are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers Turbidite Geological formations have their origins in Turbidity current deposits, which are deposits from a form of underwater Avalanche that Arkose (ˈɑrkoʊz is a Detrital Sedimentary rock, specifically a type of Sandstone containing at least 25% Feldspar. Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock.
• quartzose sandstones, also known as "beach sand", which have a high (>90%) quartz content. Sometimes these sandstones are termed "orthoquartzites", e. Quartzite (from German Quarzit) not to be confused with the Mineral Quartz, is a hard Metamorphic rock which was originally g. , the Tuscarora Quartzite of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of
• argillaceous sandstones, such as greywacke or bluestone, which have a significant clay or silt content. Argillaceous minerals appear silvery upon optical reflection and are Minerals containing substantial amounts of Clay -like components (ἄργιλλος = clay Greywacke ( German grauwacke, signifying a grey earthy rock is a variety of Sandstone generally characterized by its hardness dark color and poorly-sorted Bluestone is the name given to several stones (1 a feldspathic sandstone in the U Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Silt is Soil or rock derived Granular material of a Grain size between sand and clay

According to the USGS, U. S. sandstone production in 2005 was 192,000 metric tons worth $24. 3 million, the largest component of which was the 121,000 metric tons worth $9. 75 million of flagstone or dimension stone. Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated (i

References

• Boggs, J. R. , 2000, Principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy, 3rd ed. Toronto: Merril Publishing Company. ISBN 0-13-099696-3
• Folk, R. L. , 1965, Petrology of sedimentary rocks PDF version. Austin: Hemphill’s Bookstore. 2nd ed. 1981, ISBN 0-914696-14-9
• Pettijohn, F. J. , P. E. Potter and R. Siever, 1987, Sand and sandstone, 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag. ISBN 0-387-96350-2
• Scholle, P. A. , 1978, A Color illustrated guide to constituents, textures, cements, and porosities of sandstones and associated rocks, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir no. 28. ISBN 0-89181-304-7
• Scholle, P. A. , and D. Spearing, 1982, Sandstone depositional environments: clastic terrigenous sediments , American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir no. 31. ISBN 0-89181-307-1
• USGS Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Dimension

Gallery

Sandstone with iron oxide bands	Prepared sample of sandstone	A natural sandstone formation composed of cemented quartz sand	Sandstone patterns on a chamber wall in Petra
Arbroath Abbey, showing distinctive sandstone colouring	Arches National Park Sandstone landscape	Parus Rock in Russia. Petra (from "petra" rock in Greek; Arabic: البتراء Al-Batrāʾ) is an archaeological site in the Arabah Arbroath Abbey was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. Arches National Park is a US National park in southern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the Sail Rock, or Parus Rock (скала́ Па́рус Skala Parus) is a natural Sandstone Monolith located on the shore of the	Sandstone formation, Eilat Massif, Israel
A modern residence with sandstone external veneer	fossil shells in sandstone	Sandstone-based building architecture, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India	A sandstone building (with granite columns) in Sydney, Australia
Richmond Bridge, Sandstone, Australia	Berea sandstone Auglaize County courthouse in Wapakoneta, Ohio

See also

• Bargate stone
• Beaver river sandstone
• Berea sandstone
• Brownstone
• Dimension stone
• Geology
• Hummelstown brownstone
• List of minerals
• List of stone
• Old Red Sandstone
• Sarsen
• Sedimentary basins
• Yorkstone
• Wisconsin Dells
• Uluru