OBERLIN, OH – The Natural Stone Institute is offering a webinar on Petrography in Natural Stone on Thursday, June 29, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Of the various tests and analyses performed on dimension stone, perhaps the least understood and most underutilized is petrographic analysis. Commonly done in accordance with the ASTM C1721 Standard Guide for Petrographic Examination of Dimension Stone procedure, petrographic analyses yield valuable insights into the mineralogical composition, fabric structure, pore configuration and other information about the stone matrix. From these discoveries, prediction about the stone’s capabilities and vulnerabilities, particularly with respect to weather resistance, can be made. This session provides a thorough description of the steps and processes involved, including the test specimen selection and preparation, macroscopic and microscopic examinations and x-ray diffraction. The session will wrap up with a discussion of how to interpret the petrographer’s report and what commonly found features in natural stone may represent “red flags” for certain application environments.