Heritage stones are building and ornamental stones that have special significance in human culture. The papers in this volume discuss a wide variety of such materials, including stones from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia. Igneous (basalt, porphyry, granite), sedimentary (sandstone, limestone) and metamorphic (marble, quartzite, gneiss, soapstone, slate) stones are featured. These have been utilized over long periods of time for a wide range of uses contributing to the historic fabric of the built environment. Many of these stones are of international significance, and so are potential Global Heritage Stone Resources, that is stones that have the requisite qualities for international recognition by the Heritage Stones Subcommission of the International Union of Geological Sciences. The papers bring together diverse information on these stones ranging from their geological setting and quarry locations to mechanical properties, current availability, and uses over time. As such the papers can serve as an entry into the literature on these important stones.

This volume, produced in conjunction with the GSA North-Central Section Meeting held in Dayton, Ohio, April 2012, has a mix of papers ranging from stratigraphy, paleontology, and hydrogeology, to geomorphology, drainage basins, and building stones. The geographic spread of the chapters focuses mainly on an area bounded by those counties adjacent to Montgomery County, but also extends beyond -- from Paulding County in the north to Georgetown, Kentucky, in the south. Topics include the Silurian stratigraphy of southwestern Ohio, drainage basins of the Mad River and Little Miami River, the relationship between geology and groundwater of the Inner Bluegrass Region, Kentucky (and its connection to the distilling and aging of bourbon), and the building stones of Dayton, as well as an introduction to the geology of the Dayton area.