When constructed in 1900, it was made mostly out of red Arizona sandstone. Arizona has a large abundance of sandstone, as seen in the Grand Canyon and Sedona. So how does sandstone form?
Most rocks on earth are made of quartz (SiO2) in some shape or form. Quartz is a hard substance that has lasted billions of years on earth. Because quartz is abundant on earth, you can find it almost anywhere. Sandstone is a perfect type of rock that quartz is in. Sandstones form when large bodies of stagnate water has lots and lots of granite sand grains. These granite particles become eroded from mountains by wind, rain, and snow. Granite is the most abundant rock on earth's crust and it's one of the reasons why there is a lot of sandstone on earth too.
Eventually, these sand particles settle at the bottom of a lake or ocean and accumulate on top of each other to build different distinct layers. The layers near the surface are younger than the layers near the bottom. This is due to the fact that the layers on the bottom had to be there first so that the layers above could settle on top of them. Over time, these particles are squeezed as more and more layers of sediment compile on top of them. So much so, that they fuse into a rock. It's kinda like microscopic velcro. The further you are away from the shore, the more calm the water is and the likely hood of finer sediment settling out greatness. When two particles of granite make contact under pressure, they are fused together. This new rock is called sandstone, and it's a sedimentary rock meaning it was created from other sediments.
Over millions of years, the body of water dried leaving behind the lake bottom full of silt. After more time have past, natural weathering of the finer silt erodes it away to rivers and streams until you reach the sandstone underneath. Sometimes it forms in beautiful layers and colors such as that in Utah and Arizona. Because sandstone is harder than the silt, it takes more time for it to erode under normal circumstances, but given enough time it does erode away.
Once found, this sandstone was quarried somewhere in Arizona in the late 1800s and shipped to this site to be the main building material. Because sandstone particles and composition varies, there are different types of sandstone classifications, based on the mineral content inside. The four main types are quartz sandstone, arkose, greywacke, or lithic sandstone. Below is a diagram that shows the differences in these types.
Works Cited
https://www.tes.com/lessons/IS414CIMny7rcQ/weathering-erosion-and-deposition
http://thebritishgeographer.weebly.com/river-processes.html
http://blaineharrington.photoshelter.com/image/I0000ncY3M74tKio
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/higheredbcs/legacy/college/levin/0471697435/chap_tut/chaps/chapter05-08.html
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2. Describe the texture AND color(s) of the sandstone at this location.
3. Describe the weathering process. Is there any rusting or corrosion? If so, where do you see it and why is this occurring?
4. Because sandstone is a sedimentary rock, it has many different types of sediment inside of it. Using the diagram above, which sandstone classification would you give to these rocks?