246 
FLORIDA STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
early in 1908. The total number of sand-lime brick made in Florida 
during 1908 as reported by the United States Geological Survey was 
21,014,000, valued at $117,040. 
BUILDING STONE. 
The building stone of the State consists chiefly of limestones, of 
which several varieties occur. 
Coquina:—The coquina rock of Anastasia Island near St. Augus¬ 
tine has been known as a building stone for more than three hundred 
years. This coquina was in fact the first stone used for building 
purposes in America, its use having begun with the settlement of St. 
Augustine about 1565. Coquina (pi. VII, fig. 2) consists of a mass of 
shells of varying size or fragments of shells cemented together 
ordinarily by calcium carbonate. A small admixture of sand is in 
some instances included with the shells. When first exposed the 
mass of shells is imperfectly cemented and the rock is readily cut 
into blocks of the desired size. Upon exposure, however, the moisture 
contained in the interstices of the rock evaporates and in doing so 
deposits the calcium carbonate which it held in solution thus firmly 
cementing the shell mass into a firm rock. Thus indurated the resist¬ 
ing qualities of the rock are good. The shells from this formation 
have been extensively used with concrete in the construction of mod¬ 
ern buildings at St. Augustine. Aside from its occurrence on 
Anastasia Island coquina is found at many other points along both 
the east and the west side of the peninsula. 
The Vicksburg Limestone:—The Vicksburg limestone has been 
used to some extent for building purposes. This is true especially 
of that phase of the Vicksburg known as the “chimney rock” de¬ 
scribed in the preceding pages as the Marianna and the Peninsular 
limestones. The chimney rock is when first taken from the ground 
very soft and can be easily sawed into blocks. Upon exposure to the 
air it hardens, due, as in the case of the coquina, to the evaporation 
of moisture from the interstices of the rock. The chimney rock was 
early used both in Alabama and Florida for the construction of 
chimneys and to some extent for building purposes. 
Locally the Vicksburg and some of the other limestones in Florida 
become very close grained and compact. In this condition the lime¬ 
stone is hard, approaching marble in appearance. Although little 
used this phase of the limestone formation is capable of producing a 
good building stone. 
Miami Oolite:—The Miami oolitic limestone has been used suc¬ 
cessfully as a building stone at Miami. This formation extends for 
