Sandstone

a SEDIMENTARY ROCK made up of sand grains with sizes between 0.06 mm and 1 mm, and a variety of other minerals and materials cementing the grains together. CALCITE is a common cement, and silica (as QUARTZ) cements sands to produce a hard sandstone often referred to as an orthoquartzite (to tell it apart from the metamorphic rock, quartzite). Brown and red sandstones usually have an iron-rich cement such as LIMONITE or haematite. Other minerals which may be present include FELDSPAR and MICA.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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Sandstone (sometimes known as arenite) is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, gray and white. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions.

Some sandstones are resistant to weathering, yet are easy to work. This makes sandstone a common building and paving material. However, some that have been used in the past, such as the Collyhurst sandstone used in North West England, have been found less resistant, necessitating repair and replacement in older buildings. Because of the hardness of the individual grains, uniformity of grain size and friability of their structure, some types of sandstone are excellent materials from which to make grindstones, for sharpening blades and other implements. Non-friable sandstone can be used to make grindstones for grinding grain, e.g., gritstone.

Rock formations that are primarily composed of sandstone usually allow percolation of water and other fluids and are porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable aquifers and petroleum reservoirs. Fine-grained aquifers, such as sandstones, are more apt to filter out pollutants from the surface than are rocks with cracks and crevices, such as limestone or other rocks fractured by seismic activity.

Taken from Wikipedia