Mount Airy granite

Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Washington, D.C.

Description

A medium-grain, white to light gray, biotite granite quarried at Mt. Airy in Surry County, North Carolina. Mt. Airy granite has an even texture with white and black grains. It was used for buildings and monuments. In Washington DC, Mt. Airy granite was used for the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

Other Properties

Water absorption by weight = 0.1-0.2%

Authority

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• Frank A. Lent, Trade names and Descriptions of Marbles, Limestones, Sandstones, Granites and Other Building Stones Quarried in the United States Canada and other Countries., Stone Publishing Co, New York, 1925

• Website address 1 Comment: World's most popular granites at www.findstone.com/daniel3.htm ; water absorption = 0.1-0.2% by weight