Gritstone

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The Salt Cellar, a gritstone tor on Derwent Edge in the Peak District, England

Gritstone is a sedimentary rock composed of coarse sand grains with inclusions of small pebbles. It is a coarser version of sandstone.

As gritstone is a fluvial sedimentary rock, it frequently shows signs of cross-bedding or current bedding. It is quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, and grind wood into pulp for paper, and for grindstones to sharpen blades.

The Millstone Grit is an informal term for a succession of gritstones which are to be found in the Peak District and Pennines of northern England. These sediments were laid down in the late (upper) Paleozoic era, in the Carboniferous period, in deltaic conditions.

Rock climbers travel from all over the world to enjoy the unique character and grippiness of the gritstone in the Peak District.

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