Tarmac – Hard Black Material

 
Tarmac is a hard black material used for roads, parade ground or anywhere, that a hard, even and durable surface is needed. It is a mixture of tar and macadam, which consists of hundreds of tiny even sized chips of granite pressed together.

Macadam is named after a Scotsman, john Loudon mac Adam, who first used it in the 18^th century. Until mac Adam’s time, roads where tracks sometimes covered with stones, which easily got muddy and waterlogged. The unevenness made travelling so uncomfortable. Mac Adam, who was on the roads committee in his home county of Ayrshire in Scotland, wrote several books about road building. He persuaded the government to let him make experiments which resulted in vastly improved highways.

The original macadam is still used on roads and looks much better than tarmac.

Source: collected from books.

By,
Rushalli