天然石材是如何形成的？景观石

天然石材 是家居和花园中最常用的材料之一。但你有没有想过，你的石砖、石砖或石地板是从哪里来的？

美丽的天然外墙叠石系统

Natural stone was created thousands of years ago when the Earth was just a ball of mineral gases. As these gases began to cool down, they compressed and solidified to form the world we know today. It was during this process that natural stone was formed – the type of stone created depends on what type of minerals were combined at that time. This was a slow process that occurred over millions of years. As the Earth began to settle, many of these seams of stone were gradually pushed to the surface by heat and pressure, creating the large formations we see today.

Stone can come from anywhere in the world, and the type of stone is determined by its origins. There are quarries in America, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Brazil, as well as many other countries around the globe. Some countries have multiple natural stone quarries, whilst others only have a few. Let’s look in closer detail at where particular stones originate and how they were formed.

大理石

大理石 is the result of limestone that has been altered through heat and pressure. It’s a versatile stone that can be used on virtually anything – statues, stairs, walls, bathrooms, counter tops, and more. Usually seen in white, marble is also common in black and grey tints, and has great weather endurance.

石英岩

石英岩 源自经过加热和压缩而变质的砂岩。这种石头主要呈白色，但也有带棕色、灰色或绿色色调的。它是最坚硬的天然石材类型之一，是建筑外墙、台面和其他需要重型石材的结构的绝佳选择。

花岗岩

花岗岩 最初是一种火成岩，曾暴露于岩浆（熔岩）中，并通过暴露于不同的矿物质而发生变化。这种石头常见于曾经发生过高火山活动的国家，并且有各种各样的颜色，从黑色、棕色、红色、白色，以及介于两者之间的几乎所有颜色。花岗岩因其抗菌特性而成为厨房和浴室的绝佳选择。

石灰石

石灰石 是珊瑚、贝壳和其他海洋生物挤压在一起的结果。石灰石有两种类型，一种是较硬的，富含钙，另一种是较软的，镁含量较高。硬石灰石通常用于建筑行业，或磨碎后用于砂浆，因为它具有防水性能。

青石

青石 is sometimes referred to as basalt, and is one of the most common natural stones around the world. Bluestone forms through the alteration of lava, and because of this, is one of the closest stones to the Earth’s surface. Basalt is generally darker in colour, and is used as house roofing and floor tiles because of its hard texture.

石板

石板 是在页岩和泥岩沉积物通过高温和高压作用而改变时形成的。石板有黑色、紫色、蓝色、绿色和灰色等颜色，由于可以切成薄片并能承受低温且损坏程度最小，因此已成为屋顶的热门选择。由于其持久耐用的特性，石板也经常用作地板砖。

石灰华

石灰华 is created when floodwaters wash through limestone, leaving mineral deposits throughout. As it dries out, the extra minerals solidify to gradually create a much denser material called travertine. This stone is good as a replacement for marble or granite, as it’s much lighter and easier to work with, yet still durable. For this reason travertine is often used on floors or walls, and is estimated to last around fifty years if maintained regularly.