Importance of geological and geotechnical properties of Kandira stone in civil engineering applications

Kandira Stone is a unique natural stone which has been quarried at the east of Akcaova District, Kandira County, Izmit City, Turkey. It has been extensively used in civil engineering applications due to its attractive color, reliability and convenience. Natural stones have been used as construction materials since centuries. Nowadays, there have been recognizable increments on both its productions and usage in constructions. In addition, natural stones become driving forces in some countries economies. Since sometimes, Kandira Stone has been used to meet local market demands only. However, there is a growing demand at national and international markets, recently. Kandira Stone is mostly used to as a cladding material for buildings and garden walls and other hard landscaping, pavements and road and the restoration of historical buildings, both with and without processing. As it does not readily conduct heat, it is also used for decorative fireplaces. For such applications, it is important to know its geological and geotechnical properties. Thus, this will provide very useful information before, during and after the applications of Kandira Stone. In this study, geological and some geotechnical properties of the Kandira stone are presented and also importance of these properties in civil engineering applications as construction materials are discussed.