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.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Water absorption by weight = 0.1-0.2%

Resources and Citations

• 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

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