The dimension stone potential of Thailand — overview and granite site investigations

Abstract

AbstractThe production of dimension stones is well established in Thailand and the country has considerable processing capacities in the region, second only to China. The geological background of Thailand provides a huge potential of dimension stones, including magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The NE part of the country is made up by the Khorat Plateau with the main sandstone resources at its western margin. Metamorphic carbonate rocks are predominantly distributed along the border of a basin area in central Thailand. The western part of the country is characterized by magmatic belts that comprise the resources of igneous rocks. Large quantities of the dimension stone potential were used in the first part of the 1990s, when the domestic economy underwent a considerable upturn. The most important region for the production of granitoid rocks is the Tak batholith in northern Thailand. Therefore, the Tak granitoids are discussed as a case study with respect to petrophysical and depositional characteristics.