Slippery Rock Gazette

Dr. Frederick M. Hueston, PhD

It was one of those balmy Florida mornings when the air was thick with humidity, and the only thing cold was the iced coffee sweating on my desk. I was about to kick my feet up and enjoy a rare quiet day when my phone lit up. The number had a Michigan area code—my curiosity was piqued.

The voice on the other end was Benny, an old client who ran a luxury resort up north. “Stone Detective, I’ve got a situation up here,” Benny said, sounding flustered. “We just had a heavy snowfall, and the snow on my outdoor marble patio is melting faster at the corners of the tiles. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I sipped my coffee and leaned back. “Snow, huh? You know that’s outside my usual climate zone, Benny.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, but you’re the best. I need answers.”

I agreed to catch the next flight out. Even a Florida boy like me couldn’t resist a good stone mystery.

After landing in Michigan and shaking off the chill, I made a stop at my favorite greasy spoon for some warmth and fuel. The place smelled of bacon and fresh coffee—comfort in a cup. I slid into my usual booth when I was up north, and Susan, the waitress who ran the place like clockwork, walked over with her usual sass.

“Well, look what the frost dragged in!” Susan said, setting down a mug of piping hot coffee.

“Sue,” I nodded, smiling. “Needed to see some snow and solve a mystery.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Snow on marble? Fancy case.”

I chuckled. “It’s not as glamorous as it sounds.”

She winked and walked off to grab my breakfast, leaving me to my thoughts.

I arrived at Benny’s resort to find a picture-perfect winter scene—the kind you’d see on a postcard. The marble patio stretched out like a frozen lake, gleaming in the sunlight. 

But Benny was right—the corners of the tiles were completely clear of snow, while the centers still held a frosty grip.

Benny greeted me, bundled in a parka that made him look twice his size. “Well, Doc? What’s going on here? Is this some kind of defect in the marble?”

I crouched down and ran my fingers across the exposed corner of a tile. It felt cold, but not as icy as the center. I straightened up and gave Benny the answer he’d been waiting for.

“It’s not the marble, Benny—it’s science.”

He squinted at me. “Science?”

“Yep. It’s called thermal bridging. Marble is a natural conductor of heat, meaning it can transfer warmth from its surroundings. The corners of these tiles are connected to grout lines and edges where heat from the building or the ground below seeps in, making them slightly warmer than the center. That tiny bit of extra warmth is enough to melt the snow faster.”

Benny nodded but still looked puzzled. “But why the corners? Why not the whole tile?”

“Corners are also more exposed to airflow,” I explained. “When the wind blows over them, it acts like a heat booster, causing the snow to melt even faster. Add to that any slight differences in the thickness of the tile or an uneven substrate, and you’ve got yourself a snow-melting mystery solved.”

Benny exhaled and laughed. “I thought I had a defective patio.”

“Nope,” I said, grinning. “It’s just Mother Nature messing with you.”

Back at the greasy spoon, I dug into a stack of pancakes as Susan circled back. “Did you solve your snowy stone case?” she asked

“Sure did,” I said, pouring more syrup. “Turns out, marble’s just doing its job a little too well.”

Susan shook her head with a smirk. “You’re the only guy I know who flies halfway across the country to tell someone their stone is smarter than they are.”

I raised my coffee mug in a toast. “What can I say? It’s all in a day’s work.”

With that, I finished my breakfast, paid the tab, and headed back out to the cold. Another case solved. This Florida boy had earned his brief reunion with the snow—until the next call came in.

The Stone Detective is a fictional character created by Dr. Frederick M. Hueston, PhD, written to entertain and educate. Dr. Fred has written over 33 books on stone and tile installations, fabrication and restoration and also serves as an expert for many legal cases across the world.  Send your comments to fhueston@stoneforensics.com.