oq-gem

Glossary for gem taxonomy

Authors: Luke Allen, Andrew Charleson, Svetlana Brzev, and Charles Scawthorn

This online Glossary explains around 400 terms contained in the GEM Building Taxonomy v 2.0 and nearly 700 images.

The terms have been listed in alphabetical and numerical order. Text description of each term is accompanied by illustrations (photos and/or drawings) where possible.

We welcome contributions in the form of photographs or images, illustrating glossary terms. If you have any questions you can also contact us at buildingtaxonomy@globalquakemodel.org


Tuff is an igneous volcanic rock made up of rock and mineral fragments that are compacted with volcanic ash.  In general, the grain size of the ash is below 4 mm (above 4 mm: volcanic breccia).  The colour of tuff is variable (and strongly depends on its weathering and chemical composition), but it is mostly greyish, brown, or yellow  It is a low-density, high-porosity rock that is often soft and porous and can therefore be scratched by metal objects. It is a relatively soft stone and it has been widely used for masonry construction in regions where it is available (e.g. Italy, Armenia, etc.).

SPTU_Italy_Benedetti_1

Tuff stone blocks, Italy (A. Benedetti)

SPTU_Italy_ilcasale1742_1

A view of Sovana, Italy - most buildings are built using tuff masonry and the city was built on a tuff cliff (http://ilcasale1742.it/en/)

SPTU_Italy_fototoscana_1

Tuff stone was used for the construction of Bourbon del Monte Palace (16th century), Sovana, Italy (www.fototoscana.it)

SPTU_Italy_Benedetti_2

Tuff stone used in modern wall construction, Italy (A. Benedetti)

SPTU_Italy_Benedetti_3

A wall built using dressed tuff stone exterior wythe over a rubble masonry in San Giuliano damaged in the 2002 Molise earthquake, Italy (A. Benedetti)

SPTU_Algeria_Farsi_1

Tuff stone masonry in Algiers, Algeria was affected by the 2003 Boumerdes earthquake (M. Farsi)

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