Bluestone
There are not many examples of building materials that can be both immediately visually stunning whilst also being extremely durable at the same time. Thankfully, granite tends to be that way, and being a form of granite, bluestone has to be one of the most stunning.
Properties
Material Characteristics
"I have to say that bluestone has to be one of the dwarves' favourite building materials, as every one of them that I ask utters that name as soon as I finish my question. Very helpful. The capital will look wonderful."Despite being called "Bluestone", this stone is not a vibrant blue. Bluestone is a pale, off-white, granite-like stone that sports a finish similar to marble from a distance. On bright days it takes on a light blue hue, hence the origin of its name. It's crystal matrix is slightly finer than typical granite's, and the larger crystals take on the colour of the rock and don't stick out as much as they do on other granites.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Bluestone is often cool to the touch, even at midday in the summer. This is usually because it radiates the cold from deep underground.
It is coarse to the touch, but smoother than regular granite due to its smaller crystals.
Due to its smaller crystals, it is classified as a microgranite.
Bluestone has poor primary permeability overall, but said permeability skyrockets if there are cracks are present.
Compounds
- SiO2 (silicon dioxide / silica) ∙ 72.04%
- Al2O3 (aluminum oxide / alumina) ∙ 14.42%
- K2O (potassium oxide) ∙ 4.12%
- Na2O (sodium oxide) ∙ 3.69%
- CaO (calcium oxide) ∙ 1.82%
- FeO (iron(II) oxide) ∙ 1.68%
- Fe2O3 (iron(III) oxide) ∙ 1.22%
- MgO (magnesium oxide / magnesia) ∙ 0.71%
- TiO2 (titanium dioxide / titania) ∙ 0.30%
- P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide) ∙ 0.6%
- CaCO3 (calcite) ∙ 0.6%
- MnO (maganese(II) oxide) ∙ 0.05%
Type
Rock, Igneous
Odor
Scentless
Color
Off-white with a hint of blue
Melting / Freezing Point
1215 – 1260 ºC (2219 – 2300 ºF)
Density
2.65 to 2.80 g/cm cubed
Common State
Solid, in large bands of stone in the landscape
Whoa. Including a chemical breakdown is intense. I like the idea of bluestone, and the radiating cold is intriguing.
Thanks <3 I saw the chemical breakdown of regular granite on Wikipedia and thought 'cool!' and decided to have a crack at it. Slightly tweaked from OG granite—if real the tweaks might actually turn Bluestone into something totally different then what I was aiming at. But maybe not, lol.