‘Piedra Mar del Plata’: An Argentine orthoquartzite worthy of being considered as a ‘Global Heritage Stone Resource’
F. Cravero, M. B. Ponce, M. R. Gozalvez, S. A. Marfil, 2015. "‘Piedra Mar del Plata’: An Argentine orthoquartzite worthy of being considered as a ‘Global Heritage Stone Resource’", Global Heritage Stone: Towards International Recognition of Building and Ornamental Stones, D. Pereira, B. R. Marker, S. Kramar, B. J. Cooper, B. E. Schouenborg
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Although Argentina is a large country, only a few local stones meet the requirements to be used for construction purposes. Piedra Mar del Plata is a quartzite that has been used for more than 50 years, mainly as a building stone. During the 1930s and 1950s, its use in the construction of houses in the city of Mar del Plata (a famous beach resort) created a distinctive architectural style. Because of its durability and availability, the use of this stone rapidly spread to other parts of the country. Sculptures and monuments have also been made out of this stone. Mar del Plata architectural style is now part of the heritage of Argentina and represents the rise of the middle class, when local citizens could afford to build their own houses in a style different from the mansions, which were constructed by rich families with imported stone.
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Global Heritage Stone: Towards International Recognition of Building and Ornamental Stones
This volume provides a synopsis of current research on volcanic processes, as gained through the use of palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic techniques. Thermoremanent magnetization information provides a powerful means of deciphering thermal processes in volcanic deposits, including estimating the emplacement temperature of pyroclastic deposits, which allows us to understand better the rates of cooling during eruption and transport. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and anisotropy of remanence are used primarily to investigate rock fabrics and to quantify flow dynamics in dykes, lava flows, and pyroclastic deposits, as well as identify vent locations. Rock-magnetic characteristics allow correlation of volcanic deposits, but also provide means to date volcanic deposits and to understand better their cooling history. Because lava flows are typically good recorders of past magnetic fields, data from them allow understanding of changes in geomagnetic field directions and intensity, providing clues on the origin of Earth’s magnetic field.