WHAT IS SANDSTONE?
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock that is composed of grains of quartz, feldspar and sometimes, organic materials. It also contains siliceous and ferruginous, which are cementing materials that bind the grains together.
Sandstone comes in a variety of colors due to impurities within the materials it is composed of. The most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, gray and white.
Sandstone makes up almost 25% of all sedimentary rocks and is found worldwide both under the sea and on land. Because of the way it weathers, specific types of sandstone can be linked to certain regions of the world.
It is common to find natural gas in sandstone because it is porous and will trap the gas. Also because it is porous, sandstone can filter out pollutants from running water.
Sandstone is categorized into 3 groups:
Arkosic – coarse grains containing over 25% feldspar
Quartzose – smaller, sandy grains containing more than 90% quartz
Argillaceous – containing a significant amount of clay or silt.
WHAT IS MEDINA SANDSTONE?
Medina Sandstone was discovered in the early 1800s along the then future route of the Erie Canal. It was named after the Village of Medina, New York, which was located near the initial discovery. Medina Sandstone is rich in quartz and has a small-grained, gritty surface. Its primary colors are brown and brown-red, but gray-white and variegated red-white are also common shades. The iron found in the cementing agents also contributes to the color variety.
Medina Sandstone was formed in the early Silurian-era (445-425 million years ago) and was sandwiched between a deposit of Queenston Shale and Clinton Shale. The sandstone was near the surface, which made it easy to be removed from the ground. It was heavily quarried during the building of the Erie Canal (1817-1825). The band of rock that was excavated spanned 32-miles between the towns of Lockport and Holly, New York.
Upon its discovery, the way the different layers were remarkably even-bedded caused the rock to be divided into blocks, which made it easier to be removed from the ground.
THE IMPACT OF THIS GEOLOGICAL PRODUCT
Medina Sandstone was highly valued for its durability yet it was easier to cut and shape than other types of rock. Because of its gritty surface this sandstone was highly sought after for street paving due to its traction capabilities. Medina Sandstone was also sought after as a building material because of its visual aesthetics and the way it reacted to natural weathering.
After the Erie Canal opened in 1825 Medina Sandstone was introduced to the world because now the stone could be easily moved from the area via the canal. In addition to being used to build many churches, municipal buildings, monuments and gravestones located throughout New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Medina Sandstone was also used in the building of famous landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge Towers, the New York State Capitol, and portions of Buckingham Palace in England.
In the 1930s the Medina Sandstone quarries were shut down and filled in when the use of cement became more popular in the building and paving industry. Because of this, the only way to see Medina Sandstone is to view the many structures that have been built with it. Throughout the Village of Medina there are many examples of Medina Sandstone to observe.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
To get credit for this earthcache you must send me the answers to 1 through 5. For task 6, the described photo is to be posted in the gallery of the cache page.
Worksheet
1.) What are the 2 predominant minerals found in sandstone?
Answer:
2.) What causes sandstone to form in different colors?
Answer:
3.) Sandstone is categorized in 3 groups. From the description of Medina Sandstone, which of the groups does it fall into?
Answer:
4.) Medina Sandstone was highly sought after as a building material because of its visual aesthetics. What was the other use that Medina Sandstone was highly sought after and why was it good for this?
Answer:
5.) Listed below are coordinates to 5 different structures located throughout the Village of Medina. All the structures were built using Medina Sandstone. All the locations are accessible to the public and all observations can be made from the street or public sidewalk. Visit each location and observe the sandstone used in the structure then record your answers for the following 3 observations:
A. What is the predominant color of the sandstone used in the structure?
B. Is the color mostly solid or variegated?
Structure Location 1 - N 43 14.119 W 078 20.424
Answer A:
Answer B:
Structure Location 2 - N 43 13.229 W 078 23.235
Answer A:
Answer B:
Structure Location 3 - N 43 13.216 W 078 23.358
Answer A:
Answer B:
Structure Location 4 - N 43 13.083 W 078 23.221
Answer A:
Answer B:
Structure Location 5 - N 43 13.982 W 078 23.860
Answer A:
Answer B:
6.) Post a photo in the cache page gallery of you or your signature item that was taken at the coordinates listed below. This photo will be your log signature and your final observation of Medina Sandstone.
Photo Signature Location - N 43 13.133 W 078 23.222
FUTURE OBSERVATIONS
Now that you have learned about Medina Sandstone, as you travel throughout New York State, see how many more structures you can identify that were built with Medina Sandstone.
Sources:
Sandstone Geology
Medina Sandstone
Sandstone
