Balmoral (granite)
Balmoral , also known today as Rosso Balmoral , is a red granite from Finland , which is quarried at both Taivassalo ( Balmoral Grob ) and Vehmaa ( Balmoral Fein ). The occurrence is between Turku and Rauma on the southwest coast of Finland in the landscape ( Maakunta ) Varsinais-Suomi . This granite was formed in the Precambrian 900 million years ago .
Surname
The current name Balmoral or Rosso Balmoral is borrowed from Balmoral Castle in Scotland , the summer residence of the British Queen. This natural stone used to be called Rosso Finlandia or Finnish Red , and the name Monopol was also common in Germany. Since these names were not considered marketable, it was changed. The natural stone types extracted in the area between Turku and Rauma are divided into the coarse-grained type Balmoral Grob (English: Course Grained ) and the fine-grained type Balmoral Fein (English: Fine Grained ), with Balmoral Fein in the area of Vehmaa and Balmoral Grob near Taivassalo becomes. Mostly, however, the coarse Balmoral type is traded. Since this name is varied, new names appear, so a New Balmoral Red is offered, which is the type Balmoral Fein .
geology
About 900 million years ago glowing magma penetrated into the lower crust of the earth under Scandinavia as well as under the southwest coast of Finland and the penetrated magma crystallized over millions of years. Depending on the chemical composition and size of the melts as well as the duration of the cooling, different rocks form within the pluton . In the Vehmaa massif in south-west Finland, a coarse and a fine-grain type of granite were formed and mined.
Mineral inventory and rock description
Balmoral is colored intensely red by finely distributed hematite in the potash feldspars . At Balmoral Grob , the mineral grains of potassium feldspar are up to 2 cm in size. The proportion of smoky-glass colored quartz is 15% and the dark biotite proportion of 15% gives this rock a clearly recognizable granular structure.
Balmoral Fein has the same chemical composition, but the mineral grains are 3 to 5 mm smaller.
use
Balmoral has been quarried since the 18th century and is used in construction both indoors and outdoors. Floor and stair coverings, facade panels and kitchen worktops and washbasins are made from it. Balmoral can also be found as tombs in cemeteries and regionally in Finland as masonry.
Balmoral is exported on a large scale, with the greater part being shipped overseas, mainly to the USA and Australia .
See also
literature
- Karlfried Fuchs: Natural stones from all over the world, discover, determine, use. Callwey, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-7667-1267-5
Web links
- kijkeensomlaag.nl : Rapakivi's as natuursteen (Dutch)
- finska.gsf.fi: data on Balmoral quarries and mining (English)