Exploration for dimensional stone - implications and examples from the Precambrian of southern Finland

Dimension stone is a natural rock that must fulfil high qualitative standar ds defined by both geology-based factors and non-geological factors. The st one itself (appearance/soundness) and the market demand are the two most im portant aspects in thr quality assessment. The process of geological dimens ion stone exploration is a systematic and stepwise procedure, including ind ividual steps of desk study, field mapping, detailed examination, gee-radar survey, and core drilling. The location of all economically feasible dimen sion stone deposits is strictly controlled by geological factors. Knowledge of these factors is fundamental in identifying new sites with potential fo r dimension stone. In this work the geological constraint on the occurrence of dimension stone in three areas, in the Precambrian of southern Finland, has been investigated. The deposits are localized to part of an area in wh ich different geological features in combination have produced rock of good dimension stone quality. The study shows that, for example, vertical movem ents in the crust, magmatic evolution of an intrusion, and metamorphic grad e define the location of rocks suitable for dimension stone. (C) 2000 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.