sandstone
Grainy sedimentary rock
Sandstone is a sedite rock formed from compressed sand grains, typically quartz, ceite together over millions of years.
It ranges from soft and crumbly to quite hard, appearing in colors from white to red to brown depending on mineral content.
Sandstone is widely used in construction and paving: The old courthouse was built of local sandstone.
Many famous geological formations—canyon walls, natural arches, desert mesas—are carved from sandstone.
Formed from deposited material
- strataParallel geological layers
- cementationMineral-binding of particles
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
formation · outcrop · bedding · stratigraphy · porosity · permeability · clastic · siltstone
Building with mortared blocks
- quarryPit for extracting rock
- ashlarPrecision-cut building stone
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- architectureBuilding design discipline
edifice · construction · carving · restoration · heritage · landmark · monument · fortress
Rough with particles
- coarseRough in texture
- grittyCoarse or courageous
- granularMade of tiny particles
- roughUneven in surface
porous · crumbly · friable · abrasive · particles · fine-grained · laminated · smooth
Deep river-cut gorge
- cliffVertical rock wall
- mesaFlat-topped steep-sided elevation
- butteIsolated flat-topped hill
- archCurved spanning structure
hoodoo · escarpment · bluff · monolith · spire · pillar · cave · overhang
Mark from applied pressure
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- moldForm-giving container
cast · dinosaur · footprint · trackway · paleontology · trilobite · fern · prehistoric
sedimentary
Formed from deposited material
- strataParallel geological layers
- cementationMineral-binding of particles
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
deposition · formation · outcrop · bedding · stratigraphy · porosity · permeability · clastic · siltstone · shale
masonry
Building with mortared blocks
architecture · edifice · construction · carving · restoration · heritage · landmark · monument · fortress · castle
grainy
Rough with particles
rough · porous · crumbly · friable · abrasive · particles · fine-grained · laminated · smooth · weathered
canyon
Deep river-cut gorge
arch · hoodoo · escarpment · bluff · monolith · spire · pillar · cave · overhang · ledge
buff
Avid fan; also burnish
taupe · khaki · rust · terracotta · amber · golden · reddish · cream · warm · hue
imprint
Mark from applied pressure
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
mold · cast · dinosaur · footprint · trackway · paleontology · trilobite · fern · prehistoric · ancient
- mineralsquartz, marble, granite, limestone, slate
- stone landscapingrock gardens, gravel beds, flagstone, stepping stones, river rocks
- British geologychalk, flint, limestone, shale, mudstone
- building stoneashlar, bluestone, brownstone, cobblestone, cornerstone
- Earth's crustgranite, basalt, sedimentary rock, continental crust, igneous rock
- fossil sourcestar pits, amber, shale, limestone, coal beds
sandstoneigneous rock
Crystallized molten material
basalt · granite · obsidian · volcanic rock · lava rock
- sandstone cliffsVertical sedimentary formations
- sandstone archRock formation with opening