The population increase of the City of Manaus has propelled the ornamental stones business sector to procure raw-material of quality and beauty (granites, gneisses, marble, etc.) in the southeastern region of Brazil at a cost up to six times more expensive. However, the northeastern region of the State of Amazonas hosts paleoproterozoic granitic massifs with great potential for use as ornamental stones, which have onely been extracted for crushed-stone production. This paper presents the textural, petrographic, and geochemical characteristics, as well as technological indices (porosity, density, water absorption, uniaxial compression, ultrasonic pulses, resistance to flexion and Amsler degeneration) for samples from five granitic massifs exposed in the northeastern region of the State of Amazonas. The obtained data suggest that the granite massifs can be used as ornamental stones, but applicable in places with moderate transit, low humidity and free of acidic attacks. Considering the favorable technical parameters and the relative proximity of the granite massifs to the City of Manaus (about 140 to 240 km), which is a consumer centre with 2 million inhabitants, the investment in the extraction of ornamental stones in the northeast of Amazonas becomes an option, at least, interesting for the business sector.
State of Amazonas; City of Manaus; ornamental stones; technological analyses; investment in the mineral sector
