Sandstone

• What is it and where is it formed?  Sandstone is a sedimentary rock.  It usually has quartz in it.  Grains of sand are weathered, which means blown around by the wind, or pushed around by rain, water, or erosion.  When it settles down in one place, it forms layers that are stuck together with the minerals that fall between the grains of sand. 

• How and where is it mined?  Sandstone is mined using quarrying.  Sandstone is sometimes found where there used to be small sea areas.  It is formed in deserts or dry places like the Sahara Desert in Africa.  In the western United States, most sandstone is red.  It can also be found around lakes, rivers, deltas, and shores all over the world.

• What is it used for? Sandstone is used in countertops, tiles, concrete, play sand, glass filing, polishing metal, sandblasting, and in making buildings.

• Interesting!  Small grained sandstone can change into shale.  Larger grained sandstone can change into conglomerate.

• More Interesting Information:

  • Sandstone has stripes in it that show when the layer was made.  This is a lot like rings in the trunk of a tree.