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Barre granite

Coordinates: 44°9′8″N 72°29′2″W / 44.15222°N 72.48389°W / 44.15222; -72.48389
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barre granite
Stratigraphic range: Devonian
Barre granite
Typeigneous
Lithology
Primarygranite
Location
RegionNew England
ExtentVermont
Type section
Named forBarre Township, Washington County, Vermont
Named byC. H. Richardson, 1902[1]
The E. L. Smith Quarry, where the Barre Granite is mined
Another view of the quarry

Barre granite /ˈbæri/ is a Devonian granite pluton near the town of Barre in Washington County, Vermont. Richardson described it as a "fine granite, composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica. The mica is both muscovite and biotite."[1] It intrudes into the Waits River Formation.[2]

Building and sculpting stone

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The granite is mined at the E. L. Smith Quarry, the world's largest "deep hole" granite quarry, owned by the Rock of Ages Corporation. All of the stones in the Hope Cemetery in neighboring city of Barre are made with Barre granite.[3] "Barre Gray" granite is sought after worldwide for its fine grain, even texture, and superior weather resistance.

Many sculpture artists prefer it for outdoor sculpture.[4] Sculptor Frank Gaylord used it for the United States Korean War Memorial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, Busan, South Korea.[5][6][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Richardson, C.H., 1902, The terranes of Orange County, Vermont: Vermont State Geologist Report, no. 3, pp. 61–101. scanned version at Archive.org
  2. ^ Walsh, G.J. and Satkoski, A.M., 2005, Surface gamma-ray survey of the Barre West quadrangle, Washington and Orange Counties, Vermont: U.S. Geological Survey, Scientific Investigations Report SIR-2005-5276, scale 1:100000.
  3. ^ "Granite Sculptures of Hope Cemetery, Barre, Vermont".
  4. ^ Rich, Jack C., 1988, Materials and Methods of Sculpture, Dover Publications
  5. ^ "Dedication of the U.S. Korean War Memorial in Busan, South Korea on July 28". Events. American Battle Monuments Commission. 22 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. This is the third memorial commemorating the Korean War created by ABMC.
  6. ^ Korean War Monument at Busan Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Delcore, David (September 28, 2013). "Barre granite is new, unique memorial in South Korea". Vermont Today. Rutland Herald. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2019.

44°9′8″N 72°29′2″W / 44.15222°N 72.48389°W / 44.15222; -72.48389