Berea Sandstone: A Heritage Stone of International Significance from Ohio, USA

Abstract Berea sandstone, a potential Global Heritage Stone Resource, has been one of the most widely used sandstones in North America. This Paleozoic sandstone, quarried for more than 200 years in Ohio, has been used across much of the continent. Thousands of commercial, residential, ecclesiastical, government and other structures have been built with Berea sandstone, including Thomas Worthington's mansion in Chillicothe, Ohio, the Michigan Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, the Carnegie Library and Natural History Museum Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and parts of the Parliament buildings in Canada. Grindstones made from Berea sandstone were shipped throughout North America, as well as to the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Asia. The stone is celebrated in a number of locations, notably Berea and Amherst, where quarries have been important historical sources of this stone. It has been known by a number of different geological and commercial names, including Berea grit and Amherst stone, complicating its identification from historical sources. Stone from the most productive quarries, however, was known to be homogeneous and can be identified by its quartz–arenite to sublithic–arenite composition, its fine to medium sand (125–350 µm) grain size and iron-cement spots. Berea sandstone continues to be quarried today in Erie and Lorain counties.