Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY, cilt.50, sa.2, ss.275-284, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
The survival of several ancient monuments made of ignimbrites in Hinis town (Erzurum-Anatolia), which has suffered from intense annual temperature fluctuations and strong seismic activity, can mainly be attributed to use of suitable building stones. This paper examines the usability as building stones of Middle Miocene Hinis ignimbrites that widely outcrop in and around Hinis town. The petrographical, geochemical, mechanical, and physical properties determined lead to categorization of the ignimbrites as four different types. The Hinis ignimbrites contain dasite-trachy-andesite and rhyolite. Rhyolite is the strongest material whereas the other types, being more porous, are weaker, lighter, and have good heat-insulation properties. Being light (easily transportable, machinable, and workable), good heat insulators, environmentally friendly (because of natural ventilation), sufficiently elastic to sustain seismic loading in the area under study, and more cost-effective than artificial stones, Hinis ignimbrites are certainly a preferable option for use as light building stone. These ignimbrites are not suitable for use as floor covering, however, (because of rapid abrasion) or for building structural columns (because of low strength).