Abstract
Egypt is characterized by wide occurrence of serpentinites, particularly in the central and southern parts of Eastern Desert. There are several cooperate factors that affect the serpentinites used as ornamental stones. These factors involve mineralogical characteristics (including mineral composition and microstructure parameter), physical properties and mechanical properties. Antigorite is an essential serpentinite mineral, with a minor amount of chrysotile. Talc, carbonates (magnesite and dolomite) and tremolite are the main associated minerals. Quality and quantity of associated minerals such as talc and carbonates (dolomite and magnesite) affect the properties of serpentinites used as ornamental stones. Carbonates are resistant to weathering but suffer from acidic cleaning agents in interior use, whereas serpentinites with a high content of talc used on external faces undergo an increase in volume and a consequent rapid degradation. Studied serpentinites are characterized by relatively small grain size with foliated texture, low water absorption, low porosity, and high abrasion resistance. In the samples studied the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) varies between 89 and 189 MPa, with an average of 152 MPa. According to the classification of Bell (1992), sample No. B8 is very high in strength while the rest high in strength.
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Ismael, I.S., Hassan, M.S. Characterization of some Egyptian serpentinites used as ornamental stones. Chin. J. Geochem. 27, 140–149 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-008-0140-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-008-0140-0