What is sand, clay, granite, limestone?

Minerals are natural formations that are extracted from the Earth's surface or from the earth's interior, and then used for various purposes. One of the groups constitutes the building materials of limestone, sand, granite and clay. Granite is a complex fossil that has three minerals, namely mica, quartz, and feldspar. This material is used for facing metro stations and buildings. Limestone was formed from the petrified shells of marine ancient mollusks. Plates, formed from limestone-shell rock, have a beautiful patterned structure and are used for decoration purposes. Sand and clay are used in the manufacture of bricks, cement, and concrete. More details about each fossil you can read in the article.

Sand and its description

If you are wondering about what sand is, you should read the information below. It is a mountain sedimentary rock or an artificial material that has in the composition of grain rocks. Quite often sand consists almost completely of pure quartz. If we talk about the natural variety of sand, it is characterized as a loose mixture of individual grains, the factionality of which varies from 0.1 to 5 millimeters. Elements are formed in the process of destruction of mountainous hard rocks. Depending on the genesis, natural sands can be lacustrine, marine, alluvial, deluvial, and also eolian. If you have a question about what sand is, you should know that it can arise in the course of activity of waterways and reservoirs, in this case the elements have a more rounded and rounded form.

Varieties of sand

One can distinguish among the varieties river sand, which is extracted from the river bed. It differs in excellent degree of purification and absence of clayey impurities, foreign inclusions and small stones. The quarry variety is extracted by washing with a large volume of water. As a result, the pulverized elements and clay are washed out of the composition. The most often used in construction is the eponymous sand, which is a loose inorganic material. Fractionality in this case does not exceed 5 millimeters. It is formed in the process of natural destruction of rock rocks. If you have a question about what sand is, then you should be interested in its radioactivity. According to GOST 30108-94, this substance can be used for all types of construction work without restriction, which indicates radiation safety.

What is clay

If you decide to learn about what sand and clay are, the latter is a sedimentary fine-grained rock that can go into a dry state, becoming dusty. When moistened, the substance becomes plastic. The composition may be one or more minerals of the kaolinite group. Among the ingredients can be all kinds of clay minerals, as well as carbonate and sand particles. In the role of the mineral forming kaolinite appears, as for the silicon oxide, it is contained in a volume equal to 47%. Aluminum oxide is contained in a volume of 39%, while water in the amount of 14%. The main source of these rocks is feldspar, which decomposes under the influence of atmospheric phenomena. Some clays, which have a sedimentary origin, are formed during the accumulation of these minerals. However, most of them are sediments of water currents that fall to the bottom of the seas and lakes.

Granite and its description

What is sand, was described above, now you can learn about the features of granite. It is a magmatic acidic intrusive rock, which consists of feldspar, mica, quartz, and plagioclase. Granites are quite common in the terrestrial continental crust. The density of this substance is 2600 kilograms per cubic meter, while the compressive strength reaches a value of 300 MPa. Granite can be called one of the most important rocks of the earth's crust. He plays a significant role in its structure. Granite in the largest volume is formed in the collision zones, where the continental plates collide and a thickening of the continental crust is observed.

After reading this article, you can learn about what sand, clay, granite, limestone. The penultimate rock is one of the densest substances, which is characterized by strength and hardness. It is used in construction as a facing material. Among other things, granite has little water absorption and excellent resistance to the effects of pollution and frost. That is why it is considered optimal for paving outside and inside premises. However, it must be remembered that such a room will have a slightly more significant radiation background.

Description of limestone

If you are interested in what is construction sand and limestone, both of these concepts will become known to you after reading this article. The latter substance is a mountain sedimentary rock of chemogenic or organic origin. The predominantly limestone consists of calcium carbonate, which is represented by calcite crystals of all possible sizes. Due to the presence of calcium carbonate, limestone can partially dissolve in water. It decomposes into carbon dioxide, as well as to the corresponding bases. It is formed with the participation of living organisms in marine basins. This breed is part of the mountain chains, and is also fairly common in other places. The material is glossy and has a light gray tinge. However, it can be white or almost dark. Color depends on the composition of impurities.

Conclusion

If you are wondering about what sand is for children, then it can be purchased in building materials stores. When it is made, some clay is added, which makes it possible to achieve a plastic consistency suitable for a sandbox.