Marble.

Taj Mahal, world-famous monument made of marble. The Taj Mahal (tɑdʒ

Venus de Milo, front. The Aphrodite of Milos (Greek "Αφροδίτη της Μήλου" better known as the Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue

Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃). Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type the protolith, in a process called Metamorphism, which means "change Metamorphism can be defined as the solid state recrystallisation of pre-existing rocks due to changes in heat and/or pressure and/or introduction of fluids i Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Carbon (kɑɹbən is a Chemical element with the symbol C and its Atomic number is 6 Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the It is extensively used for sculpture, as a building material, and in many other applications. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation The word "marble" is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish.

Faux marble or faux marbling is a wall painting technique that imitates the color patterns of real marble (not to be confused with paper marbling). Faux painting or Faux finishing are terms used to describe a wide range of decorative painting techniques Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design which can produce patterns similar to marble or other stone hence the name Marble dust can be combined with cement or synthetic resins to make reconstituted or cultured marble. Cultured marble, also referred to as cast polymeris a plastic composite blend of high strength polyester Resin and Marble dust formed in a variety of molds to make

Places named after the stone include Marblehead, Ohio; Marble Arch, London; the Sea of Marmara; India's Marble Rocks; and the towns of Marble, Minnesota; Marble, Colorado; and Marble Hill, Manhattan, New York. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Marble Arch is a white Carrara Marble monument near Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, at the western end of Oxford Street in London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Sea of Marmara ( Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίς, Bulgarian India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Marble Rocks are a gorge on the Narmada River in central India where the river narrows to a width of 10 meters and carves through a large area of white Marble Marble is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, USA. The population was 695 at the 2000 census Marble is a Statutory Town in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. marble_hill_manhattan_mappng|right|thumb]] Marble Hill is the northernmost section of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States The Elgin Marbles are marble sculptures from the Parthenon that are on display in the British Museum. The Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon Marbles, are a collection of Classical Greek Marble sculptures inscriptions and architectural members The Parthenon ( Ancient Greek:) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. They were brought to Britain by the Earl of Elgin. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Thomas Bruce 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine ( July 20, 1766, Broomhall Fife - November 14, 1841, Paris)

Etymology

The word "marble" derives from the Greek μάρμαρον (marmaron)^[1] and that from μάρμαρος (marmaros), "crystalline rock", "shining stone"^[2][3], perhaps from the verb μαρμαίρω (marmairō), "to flash, sparkle, gleam"^[4]. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly This stem is also the basis for the English word "marmoreal" meaning "marble-like".

Origins

Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from regional or rarely contact metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, either limestone or dolostone, or metamorphism of older marble. Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type the protolith, in a process called Metamorphism, which means "change Metamorphism can be defined as the solid state recrystallisation of pre-existing rocks due to changes in heat and/or pressure and/or introduction of fluids i Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Carbonate rocks are a class of Sedimentary rocks composed primarily of Carbonate Minerals The two major types are Limestone and Dolomite Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Dolostone is a sedimentary Carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the Mineral Dolomite. This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite, aragonite and/or dolomite crystals. Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Aragonite is a Carbonate mineral, one of the two common naturally occurring polymorphs of Calcium carbonate, Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Dolomite (ˈdɒləmaɪt is the name of a Sedimentary Carbonate rock and a Mineral, both composed In Materials science, a crystal is a Solid in which the constituent Atoms Molecules or Ions are packed in a regularly ordered repeating The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system.

Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure limestones. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Silt is Soil or rock derived Granular material of a Grain size between sand and clay Sand is a naturally occurring Granular material composed of finely divided rock and Mineral particles Altogether there are sixteen known Iron Oxides and oxyhydroxides Chert (ˈtʃɝt is a fine-grained Silica -rich Microcrystalline, Cryptocrystalline or Microfibrous Sedimentary rock that may contain Green coloration is often due to serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolostone with silica impurities. The serpentine group describes a group of common rock-forming hydrous Magnesium Iron phyllosilicate (()3 Minerals they These various impurities have been mobilized and recrystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the metamorphism. Metamorphism can be defined as the solid state recrystallisation of pre-existing rocks due to changes in heat and/or pressure and/or introduction of fluids i

Types of marble

Natural patterns on the polished surface of "landscape marble" can resemble a city skyline or even trees (see photo). A skyline is best described as the overall or partial view of a Silhouette of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many Skyscrapers

Blocks of cut marble at the historic mill in Marble, Colorado

Black Dębnik marble portal (17th century) of St. Wojciech's Church in Kraków

Marble from Italy

Some historically important kinds of marble, named after the locations of their quarries, include

White marbles, like Carrara in Italy, Royal White and Beijing White in China, have been prized for sculpture since classical times. Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or Minerals are extracted China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Kilkenny, ( is a city and county town of County Kilkenny in Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Brač (ˈbɾaːtʃ Latin Bretia, Brattia; Italian: Brazza; German: Bratz; is an island in the Adriatic Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Chęciny is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 4252 inhabitants (2006 Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Carrara is a City in the Province of Massa-Carrara ( Tuscany, Italy) famous for the white or blue-gray Marble quarried there Carrara is a City in the Province of Massa-Carrara ( Tuscany, Italy) famous for the white or blue-gray Marble quarried there Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Connemara (in Irish: Conamara) which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning descendants of Con Mhac of the sea is a district in the west of Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Danby is a town located in Rutland County, Vermont. As of the 2000 census the town had a total population of 1292 Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. is a municipality and Town located in the county of Nordland, Norway Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Central Texas (a part of which is Texas Hill Country) is a region (and a physiographic section as it pertains to geography in the U Luni is a Frazione of the Comune (municipality of Ortonovo, Province of La Spezia, in the Liguria region of Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Macael is a Municipality of Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Makrana is a town in the Nagaur district of Indian state of Rajasthan. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Parian marble is a fine-grained semitranslucent pure-white Marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. For the town in Armenia see Nagapetavan. Paros ( Πάρος) is an Island of Greece in the central Aegean Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Rouge de Rance (Red of Rance is a red Limestone from the town of Rance in Wallonia ( Belgium) Sivry-Rance is a Walloon Municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Thasos or Thassos (Θάσος is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Thrace and the plain of the river Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Yule Marble is found in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado near the town of Marble Colorado ( Marble is a Statutory Town in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Marble sculpture is the Art of creating three-dimensional forms from marble This preference has to do with the softness and relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Isotropy is uniformity in all directions Precise definitions depend on the subject area Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic "waxy" look which gives "life" to marble sculptures of the human body. Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3

Construction marble

In the construction, specifically the dimension stone trade, the term "marble" is used for any crystalline calcitic rock (and some non-calcitic rocks) useful as building stone. In the fields of Architecture and Civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the Building or assembling of Infrastructure Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated (i For example, "Tennessee marble" is really a dense granular fossiliferous gray to pink to maroon Ordovician limestone that geologists call the Holston Formation. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic era, and covers the time between 488 Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit The Holston Formation, alternately known as the Holston Limestone is a Stratigraphic unit of Ordovician age within the Chickamauga

Industrial use of marble

Colorless or light-colored marbles are a very pure source of calcium carbonate, which is used in a wide variety of industries. Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Finely ground marble or calcium carbonate powder is a component in paper, and in consumer products such as toothpaste, plastics, and paints. Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging Toothpaste is a Paste or Gel Dentifrice used to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of Teeth. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products Paint is any Liquid, liquifiable or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque Solid Ground calcium carbonate can be made from limestone, chalk, and marble; about three-quarters of the ground calcium carbonate worldwide is made from marble. Ground calcium carbonate is used as a coating pigment for paper because of its high brightness and as a paper filler because it strengthens the sheet and imparts high brightness. Ground calcium carbonate is used in consumer products such as a food additive, in toothpaste, and as an inert filler in pills. It is used in plastics because it imparts stiffness, impact strength, dimensional stability, and thermal conductivity. It is used in paints because it is a good filler and extender, has high brightness, and is weather resistant. However, the growth in demand for ground calcium carbonate in the last decade has mostly been for a coating pigment in paper.

Calcium carbonate can also be reduced under high heat to calcium oxide (also known as "lime"), which has many applications including being a primary component of many forms of cement. Calcium oxide ( CaO) commonly known as burnt lime, lime or quicklime, is a widely used Chemical compound. In the most general sense of the word a cement is a binder a substance which sets and hardens independently and can bind other materials together

Production

According to the United States Geological Survey, U. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. S. dimension marble production in 2006 was 46,400 tons valued at $18. 1 million, compared to 72,300 tons valued at $18. 9 million in 2005. Crushed marble production (for aggregate and industrial uses) in 2006 was 11. 8 million tons valued at $116 million, of which 6. 5 million tons was finely ground calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Construction aggregate, or simply " aggregate " is a broad category of coarse particulate Material used in Construction, including For comparison, 2005 crushed marble production was 7. 76 million tons valued at $58. 7 million, of which 4. 8 million tons was finely ground calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Construction aggregate, or simply " aggregate " is a broad category of coarse particulate Material used in Construction, including U. S. dimension marble demand is about 1. 3 million tons. The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Marble Index has shown a growth of 12% annually for the 2000-2006 period, compared to 10. 5% annually for the 2000–2005 period. The largest dimension marble application is tile.

Cultural associations

As the favorite medium for Greek and Roman sculptors and architects (see classical sculpture), marble has become a cultural symbol of tradition and refined taste. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Classical sculpture it refers to the forms of Sculpture from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome and the Hellenized and Romanized civilizations under their The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece Its extremely varied and colorful patterns make it a favorite decorative material, and it is often imitated in background patterns for computer displays, etc. A visual display unit, often called simply a monitor or display, is a piece of Electrical equipment which displays images generated from the Video

In folklore, marble is associated with the astrological sign of Gemini. Gemini is the third Astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Gemini. Pure white marble is an emblem of purity. It is also an emblem of immortality, and an insurer of success in education.

See also

• marble sculpture
• Pietre dure—inlaying with marble and other stones. Marble sculpture is the Art of creating three-dimensional forms from marble Pietre dure (or Parchin kari, in South Asia is an art-historical term for the technique of using small exquisitely cut and fitted highly-polished colored stones to create
• faux marbling—painting surfaces to look like marble. Marbleizing or faux marbling is the preparation and finishing of a surface to imitate the appearance of polished Marble.
• scagliola—imitating marble with plasterwork. Scagliola (from the Italian scaglia, meaning "chips" is a technique for producing Stucco columns Sculptures and other
• cultured marble—marble powder with a binder. Cultured marble, also referred to as cast polymeris a plastic composite blend of high strength polyester Resin and Marble dust formed in a variety of molds to make
• paper marbling

References

External links

• Tips for cleaning marble
• Learning to carve by Marc Levoy. Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design which can produce patterns similar to marble or other stone hence the name
• Marmo Quarry in the Massa-Carrara region, Italy
• USGS 2005 Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Dimension
• USGS 2005 Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Crushed
• Dimension Stone Advocate News (DSAN) Issue 26
• USGS 2006 Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Dimension
• USGS 2006 Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Crushed
• Dimension Stone Advocate News (DSAN) Issue 29
• Dimension Stone Statistics and Information - United States Geological Survey minerals information for dimension stone