C2b

C2b: Construction Materials

Materials from rocks

Many construction materials are found in rocks in the earth's crust:

• Iron and aluminium are extracted from rocks called ORES
• Brick is made by baking clay (extracted from the earth)
• Glass, concrete and cement are all made from sand and small pieces of rock
• Limestone is easiest to shape because it's the softest.
• Granite is the hardest to shape.
• HT: rocks differ in hardness because of the way they are made:
  • Limestone is sedimentary rock
  • Marble is metamorphic, made from limestone that has been put under heat and pressure, which makes it harder
  • Granite is an igneous rock

Limestone, Cement and Concrete

Limestone and marble are mainly made of calcium carbonate (CaCO…