Hopeman Sandstone

Hopeman Sandstone was sourced from several clusters of quarries near the towns of Hopeman and Elgin, in Nairnshire. The stone consisted originally of sand deposited by rivers and as wind-blown sand dunes in a desert environment during the later part of the Permian Period and early part of the Triassic Period (c. 260 million years ago), when Scotland was at roughly the same latitude as the southern half of today's Sahara desert. Historically, Hopeman Sandstone was probably used locally to form masonry. Today, Hopeman Sandstone is extracted for building stone at one quarry, and is used nationally and internationally for various purposes including cladding and paving.

Building Stone ID 10,010

Geological description

Rock category  
Sedimentary rock
Stone type  
Sandstone
Source bedrock unit  
Hopeman Sandstone Formation
Colour  
Pinkish buff and very dark greyish buff to dark buff
Grain sorting  
Well-sorted
Grain-size  
Medium sand (0.25 to 0.5 mm)
Cohesion  
Strongly cohesive
Water absorption  
High
Fabric  
Uniform
Distinctive features  
Colour mottling due to alteration

Historic significance

Maximum historical geographic reach  
Local (score = 1)
Extent of historic building stone quarrying  
Extensive (score = 3)
Historic significance score  
Significant (score = 4)

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