Article Nº 0773 Geology and mineralogy Vol. I · p. 465
Soft cut stone
Original title: Cantaria Mole
Soft building stone of compacted black ash or red scoria, widely used in Madeiran construction from the 16th to 18th centuries.
A conglomerate of black ash, made compact by pressure. It is used for ovens, braziers, basins, filters etc.
The name soft cut stone (cantaria mole) is also given to compact red scoria, used for door frames in country houses.
It was widely used in the construction of all kinds of buildings in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, before the use of ‘cantaria rija’ (hard dressed stone of vesicular basalt), or porous basalt, became general.
Chronology
- Soft stone was widely used in Madeiran building before hard basalt became general.