<p>Volcanic tuff was a key material in the Roman invention of concrete, something that modern concrete, or "Portland cement", lacked.  With tuff, not only would Roman concrete be waterproof, it would also harden as it would get older.</p>

<p>For the concerns of both geologists and construction designers, how common is volcanic tuff?</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/FQN6I.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/FQN6I.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>As an example for what I'm looking for, this map shows grey veins of coal.  Is there a similar map showing global distribution of volcanic tuff deposits?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-31T08:00:21.310Z
I'm not sure such a global map exists. You can look for geological map of specific regions and see if they list any tuff deposits.
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-01T16:42:15.017Z
I agree with Michael. I doubt such a map exists. Some areally restricted tuffs are not even mapped on national survey maps! Also, the economic importance of coal makes the compilation of such maps far more worth the effort.
Ton
<rocks><mining>
How Common is Volcanic Tuff?
JohnWDailey
# How Common is Volcanic Tuff?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-07-31)

Volcanic tuff was a key material in the Roman invention of concrete, something that modern concrete, or "Portland cement", lacked. With tuff, not only would Roman concrete be waterproof, it would also harden as it would get older.

For the concerns of both geologists and construction designers, how common is volcanic tuff?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/FQN6I.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/FQN6I.jpg)

As an example for what I'm looking for, this map shows grey veins of coal. Is there a similar map showing global distribution of volcanic tuff deposits?

**Tags:** rocks, mining

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm not sure such a global map exists. You can look for geological map of specific regions and see if they list any tuff deposits.  
> **username_2**: I agree with Michael. I doubt such a map exists. Some areally restricted tuffs are not even mapped on national survey maps! Also, the economic importance of coal makes the compilation of such maps far more worth the effort.  

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