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The aim of this work is to present, in a concise way, the main mechanisms associated with natural stone degradation and the pathological aspects that they may present. A focus is also made to the main mechanisms of degradation and pathologies that can occur in igneous granitic rocks, since these have been the subject of a smaller number of publications, compared to those referring to sedimentary and/or metamorphic rocks. A summary of the most common available techniques that allow the evaluation of these degradation mechanisms is also presented. The methodology used consisted of a review analysis of several scientific articles published by different authors. The review was carried out in the Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer, MDPI and ResearchGate databases for articles reporting on the different types of natural rock degradation mechanisms and/or evaluating their degradation processes. The search was limited to articles published between 1980 and 2023. Whenever possible, preference was given to more recent texts over earlier ones with an identical focus. The paper begins with a brief introduction to the subject, followed by a description of the research methodology used. A description and scientific development of the main degradation mechanisms that act on natural stone is given. This is followed by a presentation and discussion of the techniques available for assessing the pathologies and mechanisms mentioned above, ending with an overall analysis in which specific reference is made to the aspects of degradation that occur in granite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]